Rail passengers stranded for hours after woman’s suicide

T'puram: Following death of a young woman hit by a train in state capital, railway passengers experienced a harrowing time due to traffic control.
Megha M, 24, of Pathanamthitta, was found dead on the railway track at Chackai on Monday morning. Pettah Police registered a case and concluded it was a suicide, as the preliminary probe revealed she had depression.
There was traffic control on the tracks until police completed the legal procedures. By 9.30am, railway authorities announced that the track issues were resolved.
Since it was a Monday, all trains arriving in Thiruvananthapuram from the Kollam side experienced a huge rush. Due to the restrictions following the woman's death, trains were held for hours at Chirayinkeezhu, Kazhakkoottam and Kochuveli stations.
Intercity, Punalur-Kanyakumari Passenger and Vanchinad Exp were among the trains stuck in various stations. Employees from various govt and private offices in the city were stuck on the trains.
Punalur-Kanyakumari Passenger, which arrived at Kochuveli around 9am, was held for about half an hour, prompting many passengers to get off and try to reach the city by auto or bus. By this time, there was an announcement that the Ernakulam-Thiruvananthapuram Vanchinad Exp had arrived at the station and would depart soon. Travellers from the passenger train who ran for autos and those waiting for buses, as well as those sweltering inside the train,tried to board Vanchinad.
Vanchinad did not depart immediately either. Finally, around 10.30am, the train reached Thiruvananthapuram central.