he non-operation of four pairs of passenger trains from Salem Junction on all the seven days in a week has been causing much hardship to the commuters of western districts.
Various organisations have urged the Salem Railway Division to operate these trains on all the seven days.A dozen pairs of passenger trains, including Bengaluru - Karaikal fast passenger originate or pass via Salem division every day.
Of them, eight pairs of passenger trains are daily trains, while the remaining four pairs run only on six days in a week.
All the passenger trains enjoy good patronage. On many of the days, these passenger trains are so crowded, commuters say.
Particularly the non-plying of No. 56105 Salem - Karur passenger and No. 56108 Karur - Salem passenger on Sundays is causing much hardship to the people of Salem and Namakkal districts proceeding to Tiruchi.
In the absence of direct train connectivity between Salem and Tiruchi, the commuters, particularly the senior citizens, women and the sick, depend on the above two trains for reaching Tiruchi.
The No. 56105 departs from Salem at 6 a.m. and reaches Karur at 8.10 a.m. People proceeding to Tiruchi, Thanjavur, Kumbakonam and Mayiladuthurai catch either the Coimbatore - Mayiladuthurai Jan Shatabdi or the Erode - Tiruchi passenger train at Karur junction.
Similarly, the people of central districts arrive at Karur by the Mayiladuthurai - Coimbatore Jan Shatabdi or the Tiruchi - Erode passenger and catch the train No. 56108 Karur - Salem passenger to reach Salem at 9.50 p.m.
P. R. Sundaram, MP, has urged the Southern Railways to run the Salem – Karur passenger train via Namakkal, at present operated only on six days a week, on Sunday too.
The non-operation of this train on Sundays is affecting the people of Namakkal, in particular the poultry farmers, he said in a petition submitted to Shubranshu, Divisional Railway Manager, a few months ago.
Various passengers associations and consumer organisations too demand the operation of these four pair of passenger trains on all the seven days. The running of passenger trains on the weekends will immensely benefit the common public, besides augmenting the revenue of the railways, says K. Murugan, member of the Mohanur Rayil Payanigal Nala Sangam in Namakkal district.
Railway sources said that the three pairs of passenger trains are not operated once a week for maintenance purpose. The rakes have to be maintained positively one day in a week; as such these trains are not run on one particular day.
The passenger trains which are run on all the seven days in a week are done so with the help of alternative rakes, the sources said.
Various organisations have urged the Salem Railway Division to operate the trains on all the seven days in the interest of large number of commuters
