449 Trains Cancelled, 40 Diverted In 4 Days: Chennai Floods' Heavy Impact On Southern Railways

Chennai: Amid floods in Chennai due to Cyclone Michaung, the train services have been heavily affected across several parts of the region. The maintenance yards and tracks have been left underwater due to the heavy rains.

Speaking to The Hindu during an interview on Friday, Southern Railway General Manager RN Singh said that the cyclone has affected the operations of 605 Mail/Express trains over 4 days. Out of the total number of trains impacted, 449 trains were fully cancelled, 51 trains were short-terminated, 40 were diverted and two were partially cancelled.

He further said that the starting point of 60 trains was changed while two trains were rescheduled. Apart from this, the regular suburban services were also suspended in all sections. Meanwhile, passenger special trains were running between Chennai Beach and Arakkonam division to allow passengers from short-terminated trains to move to Chennai and nearby regions. Speaking about the passenger section alone, Southern Railway suffered a revenue loss of about ₹35 crore due to the cancellation of trains, he was quoted as saying by the media outlet.

On being asked if the zone was prepared for the severity of the cyclone, Singh told The Hindu that the Indian Meteorological Department had informed all government agencies, including the railways, about the severity of the cyclone.

When asked how the railway staff was able to drain rainwater and return to normal services within 4-5 days, Singh said that a plan was drafted in advance for controlling the impact of the cyclone. He further told the media outlet that Avadi, Korukkupet, Chennai Beach to Chennai Egmore and Chennai Central were noted as flood-prone areas where adequate measures would be implemented to avoid the recurrence of flooding.