For the past month, Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) commuters have had to depend on other modes of transport on Sundays.
The Southern Railway has been taking up maintenance work on the MRTS section between Chennai Beach and Velachery, leading to cancellation of several services on Sundays.
The maintenance work for over six hours results in a minimum of 30 services being cancelled every Sunday, from morning to noon, causing inconvenience, say commuters.
With the MTC operating fewer buses on weekends, particularly Sundays, commuters said they were forced to take costlier options of autos and commercial vehicles.
S. Ramesh, a resident of Perungudi, said the suburban train service was the cheapest public transport in the city and also the fastest way to reach the Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station. But for more than a month, services on MRTS were not available between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m., forcing him to use autos. For many residents like him in Udayam Nagar, MRTS is the preferred transport option.
While maintenance works are important, stopping services for close to six hours causes hardship, commuters said.
Beach-Tambaram line
Commuters on the Chennai Beach-Tambaram / Chengalpattu section also highlighted problems faced by them for more than a fortnight due to the line block during night hours.
The Railways has taken up track cleaning of the suburban line from April 26 to May 18, though not on Sundays and Mondays. This has resulted in stopping of night services from 11.10 p.m. to 2.10 a.m.
A senior official said the maintenance was an integral part of safety, in which repair works of tracks, overhead electricity lines and signals are taken up.
“Normally, the maintenance works are carried out in different sections throughout the year and are a necessity,” he said, promising to look into the maintenance work in the MRTS.