Appeal for train services from Delhi to south Tamil Nadu

The Kanyakumari District Railway User's Association has urged the Union Railway Minister, Dinesh Trivedi, to introduce a daily train service from New Delhi to Kanyakumari via Chennai, Tiruchi and Madurai in the Railway Budget for 2012-13.In a memorandum to the Railway Minister, the secretary of the Association, P. Edward Jeni, said that the New Delhi and the North Central Region was accommodating more than 14 lakh Tamil speaking population, of which more than 50 percent were from central and south Tamil Nadu including Villupuram, Viruthachalam, Kumbakonam, Thanjavur, Tiruchi, Karur, Dindigal, Madurai, Theni, Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram, Virudhunagar, Sivakasi, Kovilpatti, Tuticorin, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Nagercoil, Kanyakumari and Marthandam.But the Indian Railways has been operating only limited services to this region from New Delhi, which were not enough to cater the needs of the travelling public.At the same time, it has been operating maximum trains including Tamil Nadu Express, GT Express, Rajdhani, Duranto, Garib Rath, Andaman Nicobar Express, etc, up to Chennai central only, which again created a lot of problems to the people, who intended to continue their journey beyond Chennai.He further added that at present, the Railways operated Thirukkural Express (weekly) up to Kanyakumari, via Chennai Egmore, Tiruchi and Madurai and Tamil Nadu Sampark Kranthi Express (bi-weekly) up to Madurai via Chennai Egmore, Tiruchi. Besides, it operated Himsagar (weekly) and a few more trains.It clearly showed that the central and south Tamil Nadu have been neglected from getting a regular train services from the capital, as a result of which people were being put to untold hardship in Chennai when they undertook their onward journey either sides.Till few years back, the Southern Railways was mainly on meter gauge and hence, there were two stations in Chennai – Chennai Central for Board Gauge trains and Chennai Egmore for Meter gauge trains. But now many of the routes have been converted into broad gauge with the aim of connecting the inner Tamil Nadu with the national rail network and to shift many long route trains terminating at Chennai to central and south Tamil Nadu.But even after the completion of gauge conversion on major routes including Chennai-Kanyakumari route, nothing has happened and as a result the main purpose of gauge conversion has been defeated.Hence Mr. Edward Jeni has appealed to the Union Railway Minister to operate a new regular (daily) train service from New Delhi to Kanyakumari via – Chennai, Villupuram, Tiruchi, Dindigul, Madurai and Tirunelveli in the railway budget to be presented next month to fulfil the long pending demand of lakhs of Tamil people to facilitate them take a comfortable journey to visit their home towns.