Cheops's Law
Nothing ever gets built on schedule or within budget.


The End of the Line
And
The End of an Era

A Metre Gauge Electrical Multiple Unit (MG EMU)
undertaking one of its penultimate journeys.
Taken at Egmore Station.

June 30th, 2004 in Madras will be always remembered as the last day of the service of the Metre Gauge EMU's. For me, atleast.
The significance of this is that it is, rather, soon to be "was", one of the last remaining Metre gauge suburban service, anywhere in India. It has served the city of Madras for about 75 years. In that span of time, it has become a part and parcel of everybody's everyday life. It has played a more important role than any other mode of transport in the city. It was the only vehicle that could take you from Tambaram to Beach in about an hour. In any traffic.
Many commercial activities were incubated by the suburban service going through that area (including Mambalam). To say that it has symbolised the life of Madras (not Chennai, but Madras) is but an understatement.
The reason for the change: increasing commuter traffic, lack of availability of spare parts and the Railways dream of Unigauge (meaning a single gauge size everywhere - Broad Gauge). The spanky new BG EMU trains, similar to those on the Mumbai suburbans, have a much larger capacity (2.5 times more) and has more cars than the MG EMU's.

As an MG EMU leaves the station, a BG EMU arrives.
Quite Ironic, isnt it?

(I was extremely lucky to have got this shot. I was just about to leave the station, when they announced the arrival and departures of the two trains.)
I am all for the change. It would definitely ease congestion on the roads and will have lesser traffic.
But all I am saying is that: Dont let go of 75 years of brotherhood so easily. Put a fight. Thats all I ask.
P.B.: The author also managed to travel on one of the penultimate journeys of the MG EMU, as a token of appreciation. And he is also a maniacal train fanatic.