Tamil Nadu govt urges Railway Ministry to resume suburban services in city

Chennai, Oct 23: Tamil Nadu government on Friday urged the Railway Ministry to resume suburban train services in the city, suspended since March in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying it will benefit the public, as well as aid economic revival.

Chief Minister K Palaniswami wrote to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, pointing out that inter and intra-state train sevices had already resumed in Tamil Nadu.

"Metro rail services are also operational. The state government had already made a request on September 2 to resume Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) and suburban trains in and around Chennai for the general public," the Chief Minister said in the letter.

"Resumption of EMU/suburban trains will greatly help the general public and facilitate in the quick revival of the economy. Hence, I request you to give instructions to the Southern Railway to resume EMU/ suburban trains in and around Chennai, duly adopting Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for COVID-19," he added.

The suburban EMU services connect the city to its southern and northern parts, including areas from nearby districts and are considered a lifeline for this metropolis.

The services have remained suspended since March when a national lockdown was imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus.