CHENNAI: Suburban train services on the Beach–Tambaram–Chengalpattu corridor have been reduced further from Tuesday as the Southern railway relies on shuttle services to curb the waiting period and rush.
From around 204 services during normal operations to about 164 in the initial phase of the works, the numbers are now down to 115 regular EMU services under the new timetable. Railways have introduced 26 shuttle services to partly offset the cut.
The revised schedule, in force till April 5, follows several days of disruption marked by crowding, irregular train intervals and extended travel time across the corridor.
Under the new arrangement, shuttle trains will operate between Egmore - St Thomas Mount and Guduvanchery - Chengalpattu via the main line. These services will skip intermediate stations such as Kodambakkam, Nungambakkam and Chetpet. AC suburban services between Beach and Tambaram have also been fully cancelled during the period, and no AC EMU trains will run on Sundays.
In another change, weekday Tambaram - Gummidipoondi services have been temporarily extended up to Chengalpattu. Railways have also introduced additional halts for select fast EMU services at St Thomas Mount to improve interchange connectivity.