TIRUCHI: With exactly a week left for the Railway Budget , Southern Railway authorities expect more funds for gauge conversion and doubling.

General Manager Thomas Varghese told The Hindu here on Monday that Rs. 1,072 crore was sanctioned to Southern Railway in 2006-07 under capital expenditure. A major chunk was meant for gauge conversion, track work, doubling and signalling.

With Southern Railway planning to convert all metre gauge sections into broad gauge, Mr. Varghese said he expected more funds for gauge conversion as well as doubling works in the next fiscal.

Around 65 per cent of the lines in Southern Railway were broad gauge. Given the fund allotment, Southern Railway would be in a position to convert all metre gauge lines into broad gauge lines in the next three years, he said. "We are trying to put more money in converting the unmanned level crossings by constructing limited use subways."

As for the ongoing works, Mr. Varghese said Southern Railway hoped to complete the conversion between Manamadurai and Rameswaram and from Vriddhachalam to Salem by April 1. Work on the Pudukottai - Karaikudi project would be completed before March-end.

Proposals for making Tambaram a major coaching terminal at a cost of Rs. 56 crore and doubling between Villupuram and Chengalpattu had been sent for inclusion in the Budget.

Work on creating the new Salem railway division had commenced. Though the cost was Rs. 36 crore, Rs. 20 crore was sanctioned, and the amount allotted by the Railway Board was Rs. 10 lakh. It would take six months to shift the control office from Palakkad to Salem.

Southern Railway moved 473 million passengers from April to January, 12 per cent more than what was recorded in the corresponding period of the previous year.

The total earnings were Rs. 2,619 crore, Rs. 448 crore more than the corresponding period last year.

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