The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Cooperation of State needed to take up new projects, says Velu

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Cooperation of State needed to take up new projects, says Velu

Special Correspondent

Ministry is ready to take up more electrification, doubling, gauge conversion works

NEW TRAIN: Union Minister of State for Railways R. Velu flagging off the Chennai Central - Thiruvananthapuram superfast express train in Chennai on Tuesday. (From left) Chennai Divisional Manager G. Narayanan, State Transport Minister K.N. Nehru, and Southern Railway General Manager Thomas Varghese. — Photo: S. Thanthoni

CHENNAI: The Railway Ministry has sought the assistance of the Tamil Nadu Government in undertaking new projects in the State.

Minister of State for Railways R. Velu said the Ministry was ready to take up projects for more electrification, doubling, gauge conversion and new lines if the State Government agreed to share the cost.

Flagging off a superfast express from Chennai Central to Thiruvananthapuram here on Tuesday, Mr. Velu said in another three years, all metre-gauge lines, except the Mayiladuthurai-Karaikudi and Madurai- Bodi sections, would be converted into broad gauge. Of the on-going projects, gauge conversion of the Thanjavur-Tiruvarur and Kumbakonam- Mayiladuthurai sections was completed, and they would be opened for traffic soon. To provide broad gauge link to Nagore before the end of the current financial year, the Ministry sanctioned more funds for conversion between Tiruvarur and Nagore.

Transport Minister K.N. Nehru, who presided, appealed to Mr. Velu to introduce an express train from Tiruchi to Chennai.

Southern Railway General Manager Thomas Varghese said an additional superfast service to Thiruvananthapuram was a long-felt need of passengers. The new service would help passengers from here reach Thiruvananthapurm the next morning.

Chennai Divisional Railway Manager G. Narayanan said as the summer special to Thiruvanathapurm had become popular, it was regularised.

Telescopic charges

Later talking to presspersons, Mr. Velu agreed to look into the decision to withdraw telescopic charges, which led to a steep increase in fares. Southern Railway officials, who were present, said they would take up the issue with the Railway Board after calculating the increase in fares.

Mr. Velu said the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation had decided to set up seven budget hotels in Tamil Nadu. The hotels would be located in Madurai, Kanyakumari, Udhagamandalam, Rameswaram, Chennai Egmore and Central and Coimbatore. The site had been selected in some places.

The Minister said Rameswaram would soon be brought on the broad gauge map. Now the conversion work on the Pamban Bridge was going on along with the conversion of the Mandapam-Rameswaram and Manamadurai-Mandapam sections. As part of port connectivity, a survey for doubling the Chennai-Tuticorin section had been done and sent to the Railway Board. In the current financial year, 20 unmanned level crossings would be made manned crossings.

Amenities

The Ministry also agreed to sanction Rs. 14 crore more for passenger amenities to Southern Railway, besides the Rs. 26 crore sanctioned in the Budget.

A direct service would be introduced between Pondicherry and Chennai Egmore as the electrification of the Pondicherry-Villupuram section was completed, the Minister said.

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