Tamil Nadu   

Mayiladuturai-Villupuram gauge conversion to be over by March

— Photo: M. Srinath

ON THE RIGHT TRACK: Union Minister for Panchayati Raj Mani Shankar Aiyar, right, flagging off a daily express train to Tiruchi in Mayiladuturai on Saturday. Minister for State for Railways R. Velu, second from right, is also seen.

MAYILADUTURAI: The Mayiladuturai-Villupuram broad gauge conversion work will be completed by the end of March next year, Minister of State for Railways R. Velu said here on Saturday.

The electrification of the line between Villupuram and Tiruchi will also be completed by the same time. The electrification of Tiruchi-Madurai section will be over by March 2009, he told presspersons at a function to flag off a new daily express train from Mayiladuturai to Tiruchi.

Union Minister for Panchayati Raj, Youth Affairs and Sports Mani Shankar Aiyar flagged off the new train.

Mr. Velu said . the Mayiladuturai-Tiruvarur-Vedaranyam gauge conversion via Thirukkuvalai, Ettukudi and Agasthiampalli would be taken up in a phased manner.

Mr. Velu said the railways had allocated Rs.3,000 crore in the last three years for various railway projects, including modernisation of railway stations in Tamil Nadu, of which Rs.1,056 crore was allocated this year. He announced that the new daily express train would also halt at Kuttalam and Aduthurai.

Earlier, Mr. Velu, who presided over the function, said 45 new trains were introduced in the last three years in Tamil Nadu and six trains this year. He ruled out the extension of the Rockfort Express up to Mayiladuturai due to want of space at Mayiladuturai junction.

Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyer said he would provide Rs.10 lakh from the MP’s Local Area Development Fund for constructing a foot-bridge at Mayiladuturai station.

Divisional Railway Manager R.C. Jat, Nagapattinam Collector Tenkasi S. Jawahar, MLAs K. Anbazhagan and M. K. Periyasamy and Chairman of the Mayiladuturai Municipality J. Lingarajan, spoke.

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