Chennai (Tamil Nadu)

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)leader Dayanidhi Maran on Wednesday urged the Southern Railway to address commuter hardships caused by the partial closure of Egmore suburban stations.

He said train coaches have been increased and peak-hour bus services from Tambaram to Beach will start from Monday to ease congestion.

Speaking to the media, Maran said, "I had a meeting with the Southern Railway's general manager regarding the issues raised because of the closure of the suburban stations of Egmore. 60% of the trains have been stopped from Tambaram to Beach, which is causing a lot of problems to the commuters. The railway is very well aware of it, and the issue has been raised in the media as well. We also contacted the railway GM personally and requested him to resolve the issue. They have increased the number of coaches. But the effect will take place from coming Monday, that's what they have assured me, by increasing the number of buses from Tambaram to the Beach in the peak hours."

He added,"I'm hopeful that the problem faced by commuters will be resolved during the peak hours. If need be, we'll raise the issue to the Railway Minister also."

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Earlier today, Maran wrote a letter to Southern Railway General Manager R.N. Singh. He expressed serious concern over the drastic cut in suburban train operations from 204 services to 115 over the past five days.

"Reduction over the past five days has caused immense inconvenience to lakhs of commuters, including office-goers, students, traders, working women, and senior citizens. Stating that public transport is a lifeline for ordinary citizens, the Chennai Central MP emphasised that administrative decisions must not disrupt daily livelihoods. He called for the immediate reinstatement of the full suburban train schedule without delay," he said in his letter.