The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Railway Board to clear electrification of Villupuram-Pondy line

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 16, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Railway Board to clear electrification of Villupuram-Pondy line

By S. Vydhianathan

CHENNAITIRUCHI, JUNE 15.JUNE 15. With the Pondicherry Government agreeing to share 50 per cent of the cost of electrification of the Villupuram - Pondicherry project, the Railway Board is likely to give clearance for the work soon.

Recently Southern Railway completed the gauge conversion between Villupuram and Pondicherry, a distance of 38 km. While the conversion was on, the Pondicherry Government wrote to the Railway Board requesting it to electrify the section and agreed to pay 50 per cent of the cost of the Rs. 38-crore project.

The Board after studying the proposal decided to electrify the section and the project will be cleared soon. The extension of Chennai Egmore - Villupuram (BG) section to Tiruchi is pending with Southern Railway. The Centre for Railway Electrification (CORE), which was directed by the Board to do a detailed study of the project, submitted its report to Southern Railway. After Southern Railway's clearance it would be sent to the Board for its final approval.

As usual there was a difference of opinion between mechanical and electrical engineers over electrification of the Villupuram - Tiruchi section. According to mechanical engineers, electrification of single line section would not be remunerative. Moreover, freight traffic in the section was negligible warranting electrification. But this was disputed by electrical engineers. They said as it was the maximum revenue earning passenger traffic section, more trains could be introduced once the section was electrified. They argued that there was good potential for improving freight traffic as a number of cement and sugar industries were located in the section. As the fuel price was on the rise, electrification would help reduce dependence on oil, they said.

Service extended

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAITIRUCHI, JUNE 15.JUNE 15. Southern Railway has extended the operation of Thanjavur-Coimbatore-Thanjavur Jan Shatabdi expresses (Train 2083/2084) till July 15, a release issued today said.

The release further said Train 6607/6608 Chennai Egmore - Erode - Chennai Egmore trains will stop at Tiruchi Fort on a trial basis for three months from June 19 onwards.

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