S Rly to try new routes in southern TN

V Ayyappan TNN

Feb 14

Chennai: Southern Railway is planning to experiment with new routes connecting Chennai and towns like Tuticorin, Nagercoil, Tiruchi, Coimbatore and others because of the high demand for existing trains. With the Chennai Egmore-Villupuram route saturated, two alternative ones — via Arakkonam, Jolarpet, Salem and Karur from Chennai Central; and via Chennai Beach, Arakkonam and Salem from Chennai Egmore —to reach southern towns will be tried. A new route from Chennai Egmore via Villupuram, Mayiladuthurai and Tiruchi will be used after gauge-conversion works on the Villupuram-Mayiladuthirai sector are completed. Special trains will start running from Chennai Central to Tuticorin and Nagercoil via Arakkonam, Jolarpet, Salem, Erode, Karur and Dindigul this April. The same month, a special train to Coimbatore will be tried out from Chennai Egmore via Chennai Beach, Arakkonam, Jolarpet and Salem. “There is no scope for operating any more trains along the Villupuram route to southern towns. We had to find new routes because the number of passengers to Tuticorin, Madurai, Nagercoil and other towns is increasing every year,” an official said. As the passenger traffic has increased to these destinations Southern Railway has asked the centre to sanction more trains via Mayiladuthurai and Tiruchi because the mainline via Villupuram and Vriddachalam to Tiruchi is saturated. “We will monitor passenger patronage on the special trains that will be operated from April to June to meet the summer rush. If the demand is consistent, we may regularise these routes,” said Southern Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Neenu Ittyerah. In addition to catering to passengers originating from Chennai, the trains along Salem, Erode and Karur will also benefit people from those towns to travel to Dindigul, Madurai, Nagercoil and Tuticorin, she added.