Six express trains to get additional stop at Tiruvallur

Chennai : Southern Railway has announced temporary additional stoppages for six trains at Tiruvallur railway station from June 1 to June 20 due to yard remodelling and non-interlocking works at Arakkonam Junction.The trains that will stop at Tiruvallur during this period are Chennai Central–Bengaluru Brindavan Express (12639), Chennai Central–Mangaluru Express (22637), Chennai Central–Hubballi Express (17314), Chengalpattu–Kacheguda Express (17651), Puducherry–Kacheguda Express (17654) and Chennai Central–Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express (12164).The additional stoppages have been announced as part of railway infrastructure works worth ₹97.73 crore being carried out at Arakkonam Junction.According to railway officials, the project includes segregation of tracks for suburban and express train services. At present, both services use parts of the same corridor. Officials said separate tracks will allow simultaneous movement of trains and reduce waiting time.Arakkonam Junction connects Chennai with northern, western and southern railway routes and also handles suburban train services. Railway officials said the works will improve train movement towards Tiruvallangadu and reduce travel time by around seven minutes for trains passing through the section.As part of the project, platforms 3, 4 and 5 are being extended to handle 24-coach trains instead of the present 18-coach capacity. Railway officials said some suburban and express train services on the Chennai–Arakkonam route may face cancellations, rescheduling or operational restrictions during the execution of the works.K Bhaskar, former DRUCC member, said the additional stoppages have been provided only for trains travelling from Chennai and not for return services. “Now that suburban train services have been reduced, bus services should be increased from Tiruvallur to Arakkonam. The bus frequency from Tiruvallur to Arakkonam is one hour, and during midday it goes up to two hours. Necessary action should be taken to increase bus services on the route,” he said.