The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : 33 trains to be speeded up

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 11, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

33 trains to be speeded up

Special Correspondent

Village on Wheels to be flagged off in Madurai on June 27

CHENNAI: : Southern Railway will speed up 33 express trains from July 1 when the new timetable will come into force. Three trains will run as super fast express.

The Chennai-Madurai Pandiyan Expresses, Chennai-Kumbakonam-Rockfort Expresses, the Chennai-Erode Yercaud Expresses, the Chennai- Thoothukudi Pearl City Expresses, the Tiruchi-Howrah Expresses and the Chennai-Guruvayur Expresses are some of the trains whose travelling time will be reduced by 15-30 minutes.

The Chennai-Alleppey Expresses, the Yercaud Expresses and the Chennai-Dadar Expresses will be classified as superfast expresses. The Chennai-Tenkasi Pothigai Expresses will run twice a week with convenient departure and arrival timings.

Talking to presspersons here on Friday, Union Minister of State for Railways R.Velu said the increase in the speed of the trains was possible thanks to the upgrading of track in various sections. Except Tirunelveli-Dindigul and Shoranur - Kayankulam, in all other sections trains were being operated from 110km to 160 km per hour.

Track renewal work was going on between Uthagamandalam and Coonoor. As for the delay in completing the conversion of the Mayiladuthurai - Villupuram main line, he said the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd had been directed to take up the project. It would be completed March 2007. The conversion of the Kumbakonam-Mayiladuthurai section would be completed before December-end.

He said a passenger train between Madurai and Villupuram would be flagged off on June 16. This would have a link to Chennai Egmore at Villupuram.

Mr. Velu said Village on Wheels, a tourist-cum-pilgrim train, would be flagged off from Madurai on June 27.

The train will touch Amritsar, Gaya, Varanasi and Agra before returning to Madurai.

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