Latest news with #ACEMU
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Suburban AC train scrapes platforms, staff ‘hammer' back rakes
Chennai: Southern Railway 's much-hyped air-conditioned suburban train, introduced with fanfare as a symbol of modern urban transit, came to an embarrassing halt on Sunday after its rakes began scraping against station platforms along the Tambaram–Beach line. The incident, caught on video by commuters, exposed not only a technical flaw in design but also the railways' crude on-ground response. Videos showed railway workers crouching below the train with no power tools, using handheld hammers to strike the bottom edge of compartments that were grinding against platform edges. In each instance, after hammering a compartment's lower panel, workers used their mobile phones to record whether the rake could pass smoothly — essentially disfiguring the train. There was no official explanation from the Southern Railway on why it deployed a trainset that physically couldn't fit within its platforms. However, railway sources, on condition of anonymity, said that the issue could stem from marginal miscalculations in rake width or floor height that fail to account for older platform curvature or protrusions—especially at stations with legacy alignments. "If railways couldn't even test rake-platform compatibility before launch, what does that say about safety," asked Madipakkam resident Vignesh. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like One of the Most Successful Investors of All Time, Warren Buffett, Recommends: 5 Books for Turning... Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Click Here Undo Chennai's new AC EMU already came under scrutiny in April when its schedule alienated a majority of office-goers, particularly in the evening hours. After more than 600 negative feedback submissions, Southern Railway revised timings from May 2—advancing Train No. 49004's arrival and altering evening services. The rake was launched on April 19, after criticism of keeping the rake idle for tests and waiting for a VIP schedule to inaugurate it.
Time of India
29-04-2025
- Time of India
Why Southern Railway has revised AC suburban train timings in Chennai
CHENNAI: Citing low patronage and poor alignment with office and school timings, Southern Railway has revised the schedule of its new AC EMU services in the Chennai Beach–Tambaram–Chengalpet section. The new timings will come into effect on May 2. Introduced on April 19, the AC EMU services initially saw poor occupancy on early morning trips, especially the 5.45 am Tambaram–Chennai Beach service. Passenger feedback also flagged poor evening connectivity, with return services missing the 6–6.30 pm office rush. Following over 600 feedback entries, Southern Railway advanced the arrival of Train No 49004 (Chengalpet–Chennai Beach) and realigned evening services. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo Under the new schedule, Train No 49001 departs Tambaram at 6.50 am for Chengalpet, and Train No 49002 leaves Chengalpet at 7.50 am, reaching Chennai Beach by 9.25 am. Evening services include Train No. 49007, departing Chennai Beach at 6.17 pm towards Chengalpet. Eight services will operate daily, except on Sundays. Temporary non-stoppage at Tirusulam station will apply for some services until May 19, after which regular halts will resume.
