Work on laying two more tracks beyond Arakkonam station may begin in July
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The Southern Railway is planning to start work on doubling the tracks beyond Arakkonam railway station to enhance the operational efficiency of electrical multiple unit (EMU) trains as well as mail and express trains in the west section.
The project is likely to be taken up in July. It would help improve the operation of the train services till and beyond Arakkonam.
A senior official of the Chennai division of Southern Railway said more than 50 services, including the recently reintroduced Mainline Electrical Multiple Unit (MEMU) trains (Salem to Arakkonam) along with several mail and express trains, were operated beyond Arakkonam on the west section.
The west section — supposed to be the longest for operating suburban trains — attracts lakhs of commuters from Thiruttani and Arakkonam.
Due to the presence of only two tracks beyond Arakkonam station, the mail and express trains take precedence over suburban trains when they cross the tracks to take the main line, resulting in the latter, bound for Arakkonam junction and beyond, being held up near the Thiruvalangadu railway station.
This is the same situation for suburban trains originating from Thiruttani and Arakkonam and bound for the Moore Market Complex (MMC) station.
To ease congestion, two additional tracks have been proposed to be constructed beyond Arakkonam railway station.
T. Senthilkumar, a frequent traveller in suburban trains from Arakkonam says, during peak hours, suburban trains bound for Arakkonam station are held up near Thiruvalangadu railway station for nearly 10 to 15 minutes almost daily, causing hardship to commuters.
Even as the expansion work will improve the operational efficiency of suburban train services bound for Arakkonam, commuters of Tiruvallur and Avadi want the railway officials to increase the train services at least during peak hours.
They also want the officials to prevent suburban trains from being halted at stations due to the lack of signal, inconveniencing office-goers in the city.
According to S. Harikrishnan, a commuter from Avadi, suburban services have been reduced after the upgrade from nine-car rakes to 12. Moreover, trains have been delayed on a daily basis due to signal issues near Villivakkam and Vyasarpadi, particularly during morning hours. This further slowed down the arrival of trains at the MMC station and affected other train services.
The railway official said Southern Railway had, in May 2018, completed the remodelling of Arakkonam Station Yard at a cost of ₹35 crore, thereby boosting the efficiency of train services and improving passenger safety in the west section.
The upgrade involved straightening of tracks, lengthening of service roads, extension of platforms to accommodate 26/24 coaches, commissioning of new electronic interlocking signal system, and removal of 'diamond' crossovers that slowed down the trains.
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