The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : More trains to Tuticorin sought

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 14, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

More trains to Tuticorin sought

By Our Staff Reporter

TUTICORIN, FEB. 13. The All-India Chamber of Commerce and Industries (AICCI) has urged the Central Government to introduce more trains to Tuticorin and allot funds in the coming Railway budged to lay broad gauge lines to connect Tuticorin with Mana Madurai and Valliyoor (via Tiruchendur).

The AICCI secretary-general, Raja Sankaralingam, said it was an irony that only three trains (two express and one passenger) were operated from Tutcorin though the city had an 120-year-old railway station.

"The repeated pleas of the industrial fraternity to have better connectivity to major business destinations and port towns has so far yield no result. At least this year the Ministry should introduce new services from Tuticorin."

The lack of train services could jeopardise the growth of Tuticorin as a vibrant industrial port town.

The Railways should introduce a night service from Tuticorin to Coimbatore via other industrial towns such as Madurai, Karur and Erode.

"The move would be beneficial to industrialists in those towns to have better access to the Tuticorin port," he said and added that day trains to Thanjavur and Tiruchi should be introduced to ease congestion in those sectors.

Mr. Sankaralingam stressed the need for a coastal railway network between Kanyakumari and Chennai similar to the Konkan Railway.

"If the project materialises, it will reduce the commuting time between the two port cities and serve as a boon to businessmen."

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