Disruption in train service has become a routine affair on the Egmore-Chengalpet route lately.
Three express and three EMUs were delayed by up to 45 minutes early on Thursday after a van broke down and was stranded across a level crossing near Chengalpet.
The route connecting Chennai to southern districts and Puducherry was thrown out of gear when the Tirukalukundram-bound van broke down while crossing LC no: 54.
“The van could not be towed as vehicles were blocking the way on either side of the LC and hence the gatekeeper kept it open for 45 minutes from 8:45 am.
I won’t be able to reach my office before 11 pm,” complained M. Kannan, a techie aboard a stranded train who travels from Chengalpet daily.
As the gate remained open, the signals went unchanged leaving the Guruvayoor Express, the Thanjavur-bound Cholan Express and another express train from Puducherry, besides three EMUs, stranded. “I will lose a day’s pay for an hour’s delay,” Mr Kannan rued.
The stranded van was removed and services restored after RPF personnel cleared the traffic at around 9.30 am.
Interestingly, six express trains had been stranded when a gatekeeper had reportedly kept the same LC open on May 22.
Two days back, six express trains were delayed by up to two hours on the same route when the engine of the Ananthapuri Express broke down on the single line at Acharapakkam near Kancheepuram.
On August 8, the Rameswaram Express fell victim to engine failure, suspending train movement for three hours. The last time a vehicle got stranded on the route or at a LC was on July 27 near Pallavaram.
Of the 1,127 unmanned LCs in the southern railway zone, 45 are in Chennai division.
Senior Railway officials told this newspaper that they had planned to eliminate all unmanned LCs in Chennai Division by 2015 by constructing limited height subways at 25 places, appointing gate keepers at 19 and closing down three by creating road diversions. Of the 115 LCs closed down in Southern Railway last fiscal, 10 were in the Chennai division.