More trains to Tuticorin requested

The Tuticorin District Passengers' Welfare Association (TDPWA) has urged the Ministry of Railways to introduce more trains to Tuticorin, as major industrial houses like Sterlite, SPIC and Tuticorin Alkali and Chemicals, heavy water plant and port, were located in the town.

M. Piramanayagam, secretary of TDPWA, in a memorandum submitted to the Divisional Manager of Southern Railway (Madurai division), said that it is really pathetic that only two express trains, one to Chennai Egmore and another to Mysore, were operated from this industrial town, keeping the station idle for major part of the day.

He pointed out that considering the convenience of people to attend the cases coming up before the High Court Bench in Madurai, a passenger train should be operated between Tuticorin and Madurai in the morning.

The association also demanded that an overnight express train connecting Tuticorin with Coimbatore should be introduced to augment trading activities.

"The service will be of immense help to the people here, who are working in various textile mills in Coimbatore, Tirupur and Erode, and for the industrialists from that region to visit the port to supervise the export of their cargo consignments," Mr. Piramanayagam said.

According to the TDPWA members, speed of the Tuticorin-Tirunelveli passenger train should be increased.

"Presently, the train takes three hours to cover a distance of 50-odd km, whereas public transport buses cover the same distance in just an hour's time and hence there was poor patronage for the train service," they noted in the memorandum.

The authorities were asked to run special trains between Tuticorin and Chennai during all festive seasons, without fail.

Source: The Hindu