Thousands of commuters on the west section are hoping for the restoration of the night train services which were cancelled two years ago, resulting in severe hardships to the factory workers. The commuters on the north section also want the night services towards Gummidipoondi to be resumed. The new timetable would normally be issued by January every year.
During the publication of a suburban time table two years ago, the Southern Railway cancelled nearly 60 services on various suburban sections including the midnight train operations bound for Arakkonam and Gummidipoondi.
Factory workers coming from as far away as Thiruttani and Arakkonam and working in the factories of Oragadam, Sriperumbudur and Ambattur, depended on these night train operations to reach their homes safely. However, the cancellation of the night trains resulted in hundreds of commuters sleeping on platforms in some railway stations to catch the early morning trains to reach their homes.
Commuters rue that while the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) operates dedicated bus services throughout the night and with Poonamallee and Kilambakkam bus termini becoming transport hubs, the stoppage of the night trains have caused severe hardships.
