The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Nine new trains proposed for State

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Wednesday, Feb 27, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Nine new trains proposed for State

S. Vydhianathan

CHENNAI: Nine new train services have been proposed for Tamil Nadu in the Railway budget 2008, presented by Railway Minister Lalu Prasad in Parliament on Tuesday.

Apart from new trains, doubling of the Villupuram-Dindigul broad gauge section, new lines between Chennai and Cuddalore via Puducherry and Mamallapuram, Attipattu and Puttur, Arakkonam and Tiruvallur fourth line, and Palani to Erode, and conversion of the Madurai-Bodi metre gauge section are some of the new projects announced in the budget.

Following are the new trains to be introduced in the next financial year: Chennai Egmore to Tiruchendur Express (weekly); Varanasi to Rameswaram Express (weekly); Chennai-Gaya Express (weekly); Chennai-Rameswaram Express (daily) via Mayiladuthurai and Karaikudi (after the conversion between Villupuram and Mayiladuthurai); Chennai-Tiruchi Express (daily) via Mayiladuthurai (after the conversion); Villupuram-Mayiladuthurai Passenger (daily after the conversion); Chennai Egmore-Salem Express (daily) via Vriddhachalam; Madurai-Tenkasi Passenger (daily); and Tiruchendur-Tirunelveli Passenger (daily) (after the conversion).

To be extended

In addition to new services, the Chennai-Bangalore (weekly) Express will be extended to Sri Sathyasai Prasashti Nilayam, the Madurai-Manmad Express to Rameswaram on one side and Okha on the other side, the Coimbatore-Kumbakonam Janshatabdi Express to Mayiladuthurai, the Bangalore-Coimbatore Express to Ernakulam, Bangalore-Salem Passenger to Nagore (after conversion), Tuticorin-Tirunelveli Passenger to Tiruchendur (after conversion). Surveys have been proposed for new lines between Karaikudi and Kanyakumari via Ramanathapuram, and Tuticorin, Thanjavur and Ariyalur, Chidambaram and Attur via Perambalur and Omalur and Mettur Dam (doubling).

The Minister gave an assurance that the conversion of Karaikudi-Manamadurai section of Tiruchi-Manamadurai project and Tiruvarur-Nagore section would be completed soon.

A top railway official told The Hindu that a number of new projects had been sanctioned for the State. The Villupuram-Dindigul doubling was a long pending project. Earlier the Railway Ministry was reluctant to sanction the project stating that already an alternative line was being laid from Villupuram to Tiruchi via Mayiladuthurai and there was no need for a second line. Minister of State for Railways R.Velu however got the project sanctioned. Doubling the section would enable the Southern Railway administration to operate more services from Chennai to southern districts.

The new line from Attipattu (Ennore) to Puttur would meet the growing demand of the Ennore Port.

The new line would reduce the congestion on the Chennai Central-Gudur-Vijayawada section as goods trains from Mumbai to Ennore Port need not come to Chennai Central once the line was completed. The new line proposed from Chennai to Cuddalore via Puducherry and Mamallapuram would branch off from Perungudi on the MRTS section.

The fourth line from Tiruvallur to Arakkonam would provide dedicated lines for EMU services between Chennai and Arakkonam. With the sanctioning of Madurai-Bodi conversion, all sections in the State were either converted or were being converted into broad gauge, the official added.

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