Rail signals on blink, EMUs paralysed again

CHENNAI: Commuters from the southern suburbs of the city continued to bear the brunt of large-scale disruptions in train services for the second day on Saturday, following the rupturing of signal cables at Guduvancherry. For about two hours, train operations on the Tambaram–Chengalpattu section were paralysed during the crucial rush hours.  According to a commuter, the Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) fast train bound for Chennai Beach from Chengalpattu was detained at Guduvancherry for more than 30 minutes. “The train that was scheduled to arrive at Kattankulathur around 8.50 am reached the station after a delay of 15 minutes,” he said. The snag also delayed the Puducherry-Chennai Express. When contacted, a senior railway official said the rupturing of a signal cable caused against the backdrop of the ongoing construction work for a flyover between Vandalur and Guduvanchery was the reason behind delayed operations. “There were disruptions between 8.35 am and 10 am. However, normalcy was restored later,” the official added.On Friday morning, hundreds of passengers on the Beach–Tambaram section were stranded due to the failure of an automatic traffic signal at Tambaram.