The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Trade and industry plea to expedite New Delhi-Chennai freight corridor

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 26, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Trade and industry plea to expedite New Delhi-Chennai freight corridor

S. Vijay Kumar

The Rs. 60,000-crore freight corridor would connect the four metropolitan cities

MADURAI: Members of trade and industry in this part of the State have called for expediting the New Delhi-Chennai freight corridor project announced by the Union Railway Minister, Lalu Prasad. They also underlined the need to extend the exclusive freight track up to Tuticorin in view of the increased container traffic that would be generated by the Sethusamudram project.

The dedicated railway freight corridor would connect the four metropolitan cities at an estimated cost of Rs. 60,000 crores. To begin with, it was announced that work on the New Delhi-Mumbai and New Delhi-Kolkata projects would commence soon with a Japanese aid of Rs. 22,000 crores. No decision was taken on the New Delhi-Chennai corridor.

"The New Delhi-Chennai corridor is equally important. With the Cabinet giving its nod for the Sethusamudram project, container movement from the south is bound to increase substantially. We will also have the Koodangulam Nuclear Power Plant and Naguneri hi-tech park functioning soon.

The freight corridor should be extended up to Tuticorin since the Chennai-Tuticorin route would emerge as an industrially potential sector," the Madurai MP, P. Mohan, said.

The double-line freight corridor is not only expected to evolve a systematic and efficient freight movement mechanism but also ease congestion along the existing golden quadrilateral.

The project would enable the railways to add more passenger trains and even increase the speed of existing ones.

CM should intervene

The Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry president, S. Rethinavelu, said the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, should intervene and press for expediting the New Delhi-Chennai freight corridor.

"There is a sizeable movement of foodgrains from the north to south. The New Delhi-Chennai sector should have been given top priority since container transhipment will increase manyfold after the implementation of the Sethusamudram project. The Minister of State for Railways, R. Velu, should ensure that the industrial interests of the south are not neglected," he said.

Though rail freight movement in the southern districts is below average as of now, if the poor loading at the Container Corporation of India depot at Koodal Nagar near Madurai is any indication, railway officials and industrialists hope that bulk loading would increase if an exclusive freight track is established.

According to the Madurai District Tiny and Small Scale Industries Association (MADITSSIA) president, S. Aravind, the freight corridor would help in speedy movement of goods trains, which now operate without a timetable.

"Since Tuticorin is all set to emerge as a business hub and industrial activity in the near future, it would only be apt to extend the facility to the port town."

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