Last minute change in MRTS trains not stopping in Park Town station causes hardship to commuters

Resumption of MRTS services in Chennai excludes Park Town station, causing inconvenience to commuters from Avadi, Tiruvallur, and Arakkonam.

Commuters from Avadi, Tiruvallur and Arakkonam, who were happy at the resumption of the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) services from Chennai Beach to Velachery, had a rude shock when they came to know that the trains would not be stopping at Park Town railway station.

The Park Town railway station is the nodal link for the thousands of commuters to board the MRTS services from the Moore Market complex suburban railway station located next to Dr. MGR Chennai Central station.

Earlier the Southern Railway had stopped the MRTS services, which were operated from Velachery to Beach, till Chintadripet to facilitate the construction of the fourth line between Egmore and Beach. In between Beach and Chintadripet, the MRTS had two stops of Park Town and Fort. The MRTS services were stopped at Chintadripet from August 27 last year.

The commuters blamed the Southern Railway for the poor planning in resumption of the services from Chennai Beach but having no stoppage at Park Town.

R. Senthil, a regular commuter from Arakkonam and working in the TIDEL Park at Thiruvanmiyur, said there was a “complete failure of the officials of the Southern Railway in properly planning and resuming the MRTS services”. While on the one hand the railway has restricted the train services of MRTS at an interval of 25 minutes, on the other hand hundreds of commuters from the west and north sections who usually boarding trains from Park Town station have to take a long detour to Fort station to board now.

Commuters also pointed to the absence of announcements by the railway officials about MRTS services not stopping at Park Town station, at the MMC station or at the Park station As a result hundreds had to go disappointed to the bus stop near Rajiv Gandhi General Hospital to reach Chintadripet to board the MRTS trains.

A senior official of Chennai division of Southern Railway said only in the morning on Tuesday was it announced that the MRTS trains would not be stopping at the Park Town station as shelters and other civil construction works are pending.