Tamil Nadu - Chennai   

Uni-gauge still a dream

S. Vydhianathan

Many railway projects have been going on for years

CHENNAI: Southern Railway has miles to go for realising its dream of a uni-gauge system in Tamil Nadu.

Major conversion projects have been progressing at a good pace during the last three years. But 50 per cent of lines remain on the metre gauge. Out of 4,791 route km about 2,000 km are broad gauge lines and the rest are metre gauge lines, according to official sources.

Some of the conversion projects have been going on for years, including Thanjavur-Villupram, Tiruchi-Nagore-Karaikal/Vailankanni, Tenkasi-Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur, and Tiruchi-Manamadurai and Madurai-Rameswaram. Their completion will take at least five more years unless enough allotment is made in the coming budgets.

The most neglected project, according to passengers, is the Thanajvur-Villupuram conversion. Just 32 km (Thanajvur to Kumbakonam) out of 192 km has been completed since it was sanctioned in 1998.

A classic example of a project moving at a snail's pace is the Tiruchi-Nagore project, sanctioned in 1995-96. After completing the Tiruchi-Thanajvur stretch in 1998, the project was put in cold storage and was revived only last year. The Thanjavur-Tiruvarur broad gauge line is likely to be completed by July.

As regards the Tiruchendur-Tenakasi section, the sources said it was part of the Virudhunagar-Tenkasi-Kollam project. Now, the zone is concentrating on the Kollam-Tenkasi section, which itself would take at least two more years to complete. Only after that the Tenaksi-Tiruchendur section will be taken up.

As Rameswaram is one of the major pilgrim centres, Southern Railway wants to bring it under the broad gauge map. But the replacement of the Pamban Bridge between Mandapam and Rameswaram is a major problem, forcing the authorities to have the broad gauge line up to Mandapam.

Land acquisition

Normally new lines are given the least priority. But in the case of Salem-Karur it is still worse. The project, sanctioned in 1996-97, is unlikely to see the light of day as litigation is going on for years for land acquisition.

As regards electrification, no project is pending. Two years ago, the Chennai Egmore-Villupuram section was electrified. Now the zone has sent a proposal to the Board for extending it up to Madurai.

Some suburban projects, which require early completion for easing the congestion, are dedicated suburban lines between Tiruvallur and Arakkonam and Chennai and Gummudipoondi. Though these are sanctioned projects, their progress is extremely slow.

Apart from the existing projects, doubling of the Chengalpattu-Villupuram-Tiruchi-Madurai section is the need of the hour in view of the heavy increase in traffic on the section. The sources say the tempo of targeting projects should continue at least for the next five years to convert a major chunk of metre gauge lines in the State.

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