Chennai: A day after suburban train services resumed following scheduled track maintenance, a crack detected on the railway track at Platform 1 of Nungambakkam station caused delays in peak-hour services on the busy Beach-Tambaram suburban corridor on Tuesday morning.Railway officials imposed a speed restriction after the crack was noticed at around 8.30 am, directing loco pilots to operate trains at less than 30kmph while passing the affected stretch to ensure passenger safety. Trains resumed normal speed only after crossing the damaged portion.The speed restriction affected the suburban services on the corridor, where trains usually run at intervals of around 10 minutes. However, due to slow movement through Nungambakkam station, the frequency increased to 15-20 minutes, leading to delays of up to 40 minutes for several services.The damaged track is located opposite the station master’s cabin. Railway staff carried out temporary restoration work by fitting a coupling to allow trains to pass safely, but services continued to be delayed throughout the morning rush.“I have to check in to my office by 9.30 am and I was already running late. Due to the delay, I reached Tambaram only around 10.30 am. The railway department should fix these issues at the earliest,” said T Radhakrishnan, a regular commuter from Nungambakkam.Railway officials launched an inspection to determine the cause of the damage. Preliminary findings indicate that a crack developed on the recently repaired track, damaging the rails on either side. Officials said permanent repair work on the affected portion will be taken up during the night after train operations reduce, and normal services are expected to resume once the work is completed.
