People dash to get home; buses, trains clogged

CHENNAI: Rattled by tremors and a tsunami threat, tens of thousands of people in the city queued up to catch buses and trains to reaching their homes late on Wednesday afternoon. This resulted in utter chaos in bus terminuses and suburban railway stations with passengers seen jostling with each other for space.“I am returning to Ariyalur,” a frightened Sekar, who was spotted at the Saidapet railway station, said. An employee with the District Collectorate in Ariyalur, he said, “I am on an official trip to Chennai. As I was infor-med about the earthquake, I decided to leave without wasting any time.”Like him, hundreds of office-goers were seen rushing home, just as others decided to vacate their office despite their management not giving them the official nod.“As soon as the tremors were felt, we locked our office and decided to take off. I boarded the train to get home,” claimed Mahalin-gam, who works for a company in Guindy.Almost all railway platforms, including those stations that attract less patronage, were packed with people. Harini, a commuter at Egmore, had problems getting back home as she missed two trains thanks to unprecedented crowds during a mi-dweek afternoon.With successive tremors reported in different parts of Chennai and its fringes, railway authorities ordered Loco Pilots to operate Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) at a lesser speed of 45 kmph. Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) services were also suspended for about an hour between 4.30 pm and 5.30 pm. While many passengers preferred to commute by Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses, some remained seated at stations, like Rajendran from Velacherry. “Instead of travelling in congested buses, it’s better to wait for a train for a comfortable journey,” he said.Heavy rush was also reported in MTC buses.