Metro Rail train suffers minor derailment at Tondiarpet station on Phase I Extension last month

Metro Rail train in Chennai suffers minor derailment due to technical failure, causing delays in services.

On the night of December 23, 2024, a Metro Rail train that departed from the Wimco Nagar Metro came to a grinding halt near the Tondiarpet Metro. The passengers were informed that there had been a ‘technical failure’ and were escorted to another train.

But what happened that night was for the first time since the launch of Metro Rail services in 2015, a train had suffered a minor derailment. In the Phase I Extension Network, which covers a 9-km stretch from Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar, the first part from Washermenpet to Tondiarpet is underground, while the stretch from New Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar is elevated.

According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), around 9.30 p.m., the train, which was bound for the Chennai Airport Metro, left the New Washermanpet Metro and was arriving at the Tondiarpet Metro. There, sand and water gushed through a hole in the station box (diaphragm wall) and spilled on to the tracks. The train operator applied the emergency brakes. As a result, one of the train’s wheels veered off the track.

“It was a minor incident, and all the passengers were safely brought out of the train and into the station,” an official said.

Many CMRL staff were pressed into service to plug the hole in the station box. “We had to pour several bags of grouting material into it to cement and close the hole. As a result of this issue, the frequency of trains was affected the next morning too. Trains were running with an 18-minute frequency between the Tollgate and Washermenpet Metros. Train services were restored to normal only by 8.30 a.m. on December 24,” a source said.

But sources said the incident was a cause for concern. Also, it was not the first time sand and water had burst out of the station box.

“Diaphragm walls are usually built in underground stations. Only poor quality of construction could result in such incidents. Three months ago, there was an influx of sand and water from the station box of the Sir Theagaraya College Metro too. But the train operator noticed it before the train departed the station and, hence, there were no other further problems. It is rather unfortunate that just a few years after opening, the stretch is suffering such issues,” they added.