Tamil Nadu - Madurai   

Commuters demand train to Tiruchendur

— Photo: G. Moorthy

Slew of demands: A regular traveller speaking at the meeting in the city on Saturday.

MADURAI: The (Railway) Season Ticket (ST) Holders’ Welfare Association has urged the Railway authorities to run a train to Tiruchendur from Madurai to enable its members reach their offices in various towns in the southern districts.

At a meeting here on Saturday, its secretary A. Vadivel said that the demand for the train to Tiruchendur via Tirunelveli had been put forth to the railway officials. Till such a train was introduced, the concession extended to the ST holders to travel in select reserved compartments of the Mysore-Tuticorin Express should continue, he said.

Speaking on the occasion, G. Muthusingam, a headmaster, who has been commuting from Madurai every day for the last 25 years, said that things had changed a lot for the daily commuters over the years. Yet, there was lot of scope to improve train facilities for the benefit of commuters.

Stating that the uncertainty of the arrival timing of Mysore-Tuticorin Express on which the passengers were dependent was putting them to a lot of mental agony, he said, and added that the only solution was to introduce a train to Tiruchendur.

The train must be scheduled to leave at around 8 a.m. from Madurai so that it was convenient to all the office-goers. Another regular commuter, R. Krishnan, a retired teacher, said that the passengers of Mysore-Tuticorin Express bound for Tirunelveli were put to untold hardship owing to the railway officials’ failure to operate a link service from Vanchi Maniyachi. The Tuticorin-Tirunelveli passenger that was operated after the arrival of the express train from Vanchi Maniyachi was now being operated as per its schedule. “Operating a new train at 8 a.m. from Madurai will solve this problem,” he said.

Madurai East MLA N. Nanmaran, who participated in the meeting, said that he would personally take up the issue with the Divisional Railway Manager. Association president I. Inbaraj, joint secretary S. Jehangir, and secretary of Consumers’ Protection Council C. Rajendran were among those who spoke. Season ticket holders travelling to Virudhunagar, Sattur and Kovilpatti participated.

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