North Chennai, home to workers, poorly linked by suburban trains Premium

North Chennai's poor public transport system, especially suburban trains, struggles to meet the needs of its industrial and residential areas.

North Chennai, which has the largest working-class population that serves a huge industrial belt, still has the poorest public transport system, especially the suburban train services. The industrial belt comprises Ennore, Ponneri, Wimco Nagar, Athipattu, Manali, Gummidipoondi, and Sulurpetta. North Chennai also has residential localities like Tondiarpet, VOC Nagar, Tiruvottiyur, Nandiambakkam, and Minjur, where mostly the weaker sections reside.

Despite being the cheapest mode of public transport in the city, the suburban trains in north Chennai have fallen short of the requirements of the commuters. In fact, frequency of suburban train services is least among the four sections where they are run: Beach-Tambaram and Chengalpattu; Moore Market Complex-Avadi, Tiruvallur and beyond; Beach- Gummidipoondi; and Beach-Velachery (the Mass Rapid Transit System-MRTS). The MRTS started only a decade ago, but it runs more services than the regular train services to Gummidipoondi and Sulurpetta.

Southern Railway has created a good track network, similar to the one in the western corridor, for operating suburban, mail and express services, but the congestion, caused by the freight trains operating through the north corridor from the Kamarajar port, has resulted in the limited number of train services in the north Chennai corridor, say officials of the Chennai Division of Southern Railway.

The Chennai Division operates suburban train services from the Moore Market Complex station to Gummidipoondi and Sulurpetta. A few services to Gummidipoondi and Sulurpetta are also operated from Beach.

A senior official says six lines make up the suburban network to Avadi (west) and Gummidipoondi (north) from Moore Market Complex to Basin Bridge, from where two lines are available to Korukkupet. From Korukkupet to Attipattu, there are four lines. Thereafter, only two lines are available towards the Gudur section coming under Andhra Pradesh.

At present, the third and fourth lines are being laid from the Beach station to Korukkupet for operation of more electrical multiple unit (EMU) trains and mail and express trains.

A total of 78 EMU services are operated towards Gummidipoondi, covering 17 railway stations, and 144 express trains pass through the northern stretch through Egmore and Dr. MGR Chennai Central Station, the official says. In fact, the track improvement work has been carried out till Gudur for operating express trains at a speed of 130 kilometres per hour.