The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Madurai News : Extension of new train to Madurai likely

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 02, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Madurai

Extension of new train to Madurai likely

By Our Staff Reporter

MADURAI, MAY 1. Madurai will get yet another new train, if the efforts made by Southern Railway officials to extend the Hazarat Nizammuddin-Chennai (weekly) express, to be introduced shortly, bear fruit, according to the Divisional Railway Manager, B.N. Rajasekar.

Addressing an executive committee meeting of the Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry here on Tuesday, he said the proposal to extend the new train up to Madurai, sent by the office of the Southern Railway General Manager, was under the consideration of the Railway Board. The new train was announced in the last budget.

Mr. Rajasekar suggested a closer cooperation between the railways and industrialists and entrepreneurs in activities like maintenance of cleanliness, hygiene at railway colonies and surroundings, gardening, automation, internet facilities among other services, on the lines of the concept of food plaza being opened in railway stations.

The DRM said an initiative had been taken for a buyer-seller meet for procuring materials for the railways from the local manufacturers. Top officials of both the Southern Railways and the Integral Coach Factory had evinced interest on this new initiative.

Later, at an interactive session with members of the chamber, he said there was a proposal to convert one side of the staircase of the foot-over bridges at the railway station into a ramp for the convenience of the aged. Installing escalators was also planned, he added.

`DEMU train unviable'

On a suggestion to operate a push-pull diesel electrical multiple unit (DEMU) train in the Virudhunagar-Madurai-Dindigul section, he said operating additional services was not viable owing to over-utilisation of the track in the section.

The chamber urged the DRM to relax the condition of transhipment for sending parcels from Bodinayakanur to northern States. The railways did not entertain more than one transhipment of goods en route.

Pointing out that one transhipment was warranted for shifting the parcels from the metre gauge wagons to the broad gauge wagons in Madurai, the chamber president, S. Rethinavelu, said the second transhipment in Chennai was also required to reach parcels to their destinations, since there was no direct train from Madurai to all important trading centres in north India. The Additional Divisional Railway Manager, R. Venkadasamy, said the Madurai Division was continuously working on the improvement of passenger amenities in stations. New foot-over bridges would be constructed at the Tuticorin and Sattur railway stations and platform ticket vending machines installed at the Kovilpatti and Tuticorin stations.

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