The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Madurai News : Velu non-committal on promised train

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Sunday, May 01, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Madurai

Velu non-committal on promised train

Staff Reporter

Sweet-talk about overnight journey instead

EASTWARD HO: The Minister of State for Railways, R.Velu, inaugurates the Madurai-Manamadurai passenger train services on the newly converted broad gauge line in the city on Saturday. Photo: K. Ganesan.

MADURAI: : The Minister of State for Railways, R. Velu, who had announced introduction of a daytime passenger train between Madurai-Villupuram with a link facility to Chennai on an earlier occasion, remained non-committal on the issue.

Even as the Madurai MP, P. Mohan, raked up the issue while addressing a function organised to inaugurate the newly converted Madurai-Manamadurai railway line here on Saturday, the Minister said the Madurai-Chennai railway line was utilised beyond capacity. "The officials want to block at least four hours for track maintenance," he said.

Hinting that the passenger train might be operated late in the night from Madurai, he said, "Why should people travel all the way to Villupuram in the hot sun? Let them have a comfortable overnight sleep in the train." However, he did not speak about the actual date of introduction of such a train.

The Madurai MP, P. Mohan, the Ramanathapuram MP, Bhavani Rajendran, the MLAs, N. Nanmaran and M.A. Hakkeem, were among those who addressed the function. The Chief Administrative Officer (Construction), C.K. Narasimhan, the Chief Engineer (Construction), S.K. Srivastav, and the Madurai Divisional Railway Manager, B. N. Rajasekar, participated.

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