Tamil Nadu will get 5 new trains

Introduction of five new train services, sanction for two new broad gauge lines and two gauge conversion projects and survey for four new lines are among the highlights of the Railway Budget pertaining to Tamil Nadu.

The new trains are, Coimbatore-Nagercoil Express via Madurai (daily); Bhubaneswar-Rameswaram Express (weekly); Yeshvantpur-Chennai Express (weekly); Chennai Egmore-Nagore Express (daily); and Chennai Egmore-Rameswaram Express (six days a week).

According to Railways officials here, services from Rameswaram will begin after completion of the conversion work between Manamadurai and Rameswaram. The services will run via Madurai. The Chennai Egmore-Nagore train will be inaugurated after completion of the Tiruvarur- Nagore conversion work.

The Yesvantpur-Chennai Central Express will provide one more service to Bangalore.
The Coimbatore-Nagercoil Express will link western and southern parts of the State.
With the inclusion of the Mayiladuturai-Karaikkudi and the Thiruturaipundi-Agastiyampalli conversion work in the budget, conversion has either been completed or is in progress in all metre gauge lines in the State, except the Madurai-Bodi line.

Railway Minister Lalu Prasad has assured that the conversion work on the Pudukottai-Karaikudi- Manamadurai, Vriddhachalam-Salem, Manamadurai-Rameswaram, and the Vellore-Thiruvannamalai sectors will be completed before the end of the next financial year.
The new lines sanctioned are, Tindivanam-Gingee-Thiruvannamalai and Tindivanam-Nagari. The Ministry has decided to conduct survey for new lines between Morappur and Dharmapuri, Madurai and Karaikudi, Needmangalam and Pudukottai and Dindigul and Kumuli via Bodi.

In view of the increasing traffic on suburban services, six more EMU rakes will be provided which, the Minister says, will fulfil the increased requirement of MRTS and other services.
In the current year, five new rakes were provided. Besides, composition of 27 rakes was increased from eight to nine coaches and four other rakes from three to six coaches.