Eighty eight persons who tried to block train movement at Sholavandan railway station demanding stoppage of express trains there were arrested on Tuesday.
The protest was called by the Sholavandan Region Rail Users’ Association. The main demand of the association was stoppage of Pandian Express, Guruvayur Express, Rameswaram-Tirupathi Express, Tirunelveli-Tiruchi Intercity Express and Nagercoil-Coimbatore Express. Association president P. Rajendran said Nellai Express and Tuticorin-Mysore Express were the only trains to stop at Sholavandan station which served the people of over 50 villages.
Stating that school and college students and those working in Madurai needed more express trains to stop at Sholavandan for easy commuting, he said Nellai and Tuticorin-Mysore Express that passed through several commercially important stations were always over-crowded and the local people hardly got any space to even enter unreserved coaches.
Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Govindapparaj held talks with the protestors. He promised to convey their demands to the General Manager.
