Passengers stuck at railway stations

Pavan Kumar has been waiting at Chennai Central since Monday evening. “I arrived from Salem in the morning. The plan was to board the next train to Gorakhpur. However, upon reaching here, we were told that the train was cancelled. Now, we are just running around to get the latest updates,” he says. There are long clues at the ‘Current Reservation’ counters with passengers trying to figure out their onward journey. “We had come to Chennai from Kerala. to write competitive examinsations. We took a flight on Sunday night. On Monday, we were told that the examination was cancelled. We had also booked our return ticket, which was cancelled on Monday evening. We have been waiting for hours to get our reservation status,” says George M. He adds, “The booking counters are not accepting cards as POS machines do not work. We do not have cash. The Internet network is down and we don’t know how else to book tickets.” Hundreds of students were seen waiting inside and outside the premises of the railway stations and took time to rest wherever and whenever they could. The most crowded part of the stations was the mobile phone charging points where people jostled for a socket. Interestingly, people who work in the Lilypond complex close by came to the station to charge their phones. 

“We have no electricity at either at home or where we work. Our mobile phones are completely out of charge. We had no option but to come here,” Manoj Kumar said. The situation at the Egmore Railway Station was no different. Among other passengers were 28 students from Mizoram who had come to Chennai on a study tour. 

“We have been waiting at the Egmore station since Monday night. We have to go up to Guwahati. Because our trains were cancelled we have been stuck here. Now, we are taking a bus till Vellore and taking a train to Howrah,” says Dorathy Punte. However, there were also volunteers who ensured the stranded passengers got food. Members of Social Democratic Party of India distributed several packets of food on Tuesday. “We distributed over 500 packets in the morning. We plan to distribute over 1000 more on Tuesday evening,” says a volunteer.

Holding his 10-yearold son in one hand and a bagful of used clothes plus medical records in the other, the last thing 43-year-old Manoj from Tirupati expected was that he would have to take his son, a cancer patient, from one bus stop to another and still wait for suspended train services to resume at Chennai Central.

Manoj’s plans of returning home were disrupted moments after he got his son discharged from Adyar Cancer Institute at around 11 am on Tuesday, courtesy Cyclone Vardah. Unable to find a direct bus to Chennai Central, distraught Manoj, his wife and 60-plus mother-in-law, who were worried about their child who is a cancer patient, were left stranded on the road. The family finally managed to hire an autorickshaw which would only take them till T Nagar from where they had to take another auto to Chennai Central, paying Rs 400 for the entire journey, double the amount they would spent for the entire journey back home. Money aside, the family had spent over three hours trying to reach Chennai Central, exactly the time, they thought it would take to reach their house in Tirupati. 

As if that were not enough, the family was told at Chennai Central that the only two trains operated to their hometown, Sapthagiri and Garuda Expresses, had been cancelled. “If only the express trains had run on schedule, we would have been half way through, but I don’t blame them. Who expected such a violent storm?” the forlorn looking father said, as his tired wife left to a nearby stall to buy lunch for her ailing son. 

With little money in his already slim wallet, the family waited for the next Tiruttani bound EMU which finally rolled in to MMC (Moore Market Complex) at around half past 3 pm. “Now, it will take us another three hours to reach Tiruttani. From there, another 72km ought to be covered by bus. The weather is still a cause for concern. I do not know how and when I can take my sick son back home,” Manoj told DTNext.

Talking about the power shortage that affected all train services, Divisional railway manager Anupam Sharma said, “We are still not getting 110kv from Tangedco at the three crucial substations. We have diverted power from other sections and hence we are facing some restrictions. If they restore power supply, we would be able to operate more trains. We are trying our best to run as many services as possible.” Admitting that the services could not be restored between Beach and Egmore as the short section required more work, Sharma explained that all main express lines have been restored, however, several services have been cancelled or partially cancelled owing to non-availability of rakes (trains) and inadequate power supply. If the statement of the DRM was something to go by, express train service would not return to normalcy for another two days. Attributing it to non-availability of rakes, Sharma said, “This will continue for a couple of days. As and when rakes arrive and power supply gets restored, we will increase the number of services.”