Heavy rain floods streets, disrupts commute across Chennai

CHENNAI: Many trains, buses and flights were delayed and cancelled owing to heavy rain in the city on Tuesday.
Several express trains were either cancelled or diverted due to waterlogging on the railway tracks. Among the affected trains were five that were scheduled to depart from Chennai Central: Sapthagiri, Yercaud, Kaveri, Bodinayakanur Superfast, and Tirupati Express. Due to continued waterlogging between the Vyasarpadi and Basin Bridge sections, some of these trains were also cancelled for Wednesday.
Additionally, trains connecting Chennai to cities such as Mangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, and Coimbatore were forced to depart from alternative stations such as Perambur, Madras Beach, and Avadi. Other trains were diverted or skipped scheduled stops. A couple of trains (Lokmanyatilak Express and West Coast Express) dropped passengers at Avadi and Tiruvallur instead of Central, according to an official release.
Tholkappian, a passenger from Avadi, ended up paying 1,500 for a cab to reach his home in Madipakkam after waiting for hours for a bus, only to be caught in heavy rain.
Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) announced that buses heading to Guindy from Avadi were short-terminated at Koyambedu due to waterlogging on Jawaharlal Nehru Road (Inner Ring Road) near Vadapalani. Buses in the opposite direction were operated only up to Vadapalani.
Local trains, although operational, were delayed as they slowed down while crossing the flooded Basin Bridge section. Other routes, such as the Beach-Tambaram line, experienced short disruptions, including a 20-minute delay when a tree fell on the tracks near Chromepet.
Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) stepped in to ease the burden by operating additional services and increasing train frequencies. However, some passengers faced difficulties due to waterlogged access paths at stations such as Koyambedu, St. Thomas Mount, and Central. While alternate entry and exit points were provided, parking at these stations was restricted.
Air travel was affected too. Twelve flights — six arrivals and six departures — were cancelled at the airport on Tuesday. This included flights from Scoot Airways (Singapore) and Oman Air (Muscat), which in turn cancelled their return trips too. Indigo flights from Bhubaneshwar, Coimbatore, Delhi, and Visakhapatnam were also cancelled. Poor runway visibility between noon and 2pm delayed the arrival of nine flights and the departure of five. By 4pm, 22 flights, including those operated by Lufthansa, Air India, and Gulf Air, were delayed by more than an hour.