CHENNAI: In a major embarrassment for the railway authorities, 17 passengers, including four children, were trapped inside a lift for nearly two hours at the newly inaugurated Puzhuthivakkam MRTS station on Sunday (March 29) night. The incident led to a tense confrontation between angry passengers, relatives, and railway officials.
The passengers were stranded between the first and second floors of the station after the lift suddenly developed a technical snag around 9:30 pm. The group had just alighted from a Velachery- St Thomas Mount train and were attempting to descend to the ground floor.
Panic ensued when the emergency contact numbers displayed inside the lift failed to connect. With no immediate response from the railway administration, the stranded passengers used their mobile phones to alert friends and family, who in turn notified the fire and rescue services and the police.
A team from the Velachery fire station and Adambakkam police rushed to the spot. After an hour-long effort, rescue personnel managed to open the top panel of the lift and safely evacuated the four children first. The remaining 13 passengers were provided with water and snacks through the opening to keep them calm before being safely rescued.
Medical teams and ambulances were stationed at the site to provide first aid to the passengers, who had been trapped for over an hour and a half.
The incident sparked outrage among relatives and locals who gathered at the station late at night. They alleged gross negligence on the part of the railway administration, questioning the functionality of the emergency systems in a facility that had been operational for only 15 days.
Aggrieved passengers claimed that the station lacked Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel and was not being properly maintained. Some locals alleged that the new station premises were being misused, creating an unsafe environment for women commuters.
Stranded passengers called their friends and family, who in turn alerted the police and fire and rescue service
Tensions escalated when railway staff reportedly questioned why the passengers chose to use the lift instead of the escalator or stairs, a remark that further angered the stranded passengers and their families. Fire and police personnel intervened to pacify the agitated crowd.
The MRTS service on the Velachery- St Thomas Mount stretch was extended on March 14, with Puzhuthivakkam being one of the new stations opened as part of the expansion. The Adambakkam station on the same line is yet to become operational.