Rail users of Pattukottai and Tiruvarur have appealed to the chairman of the Passenger Services Committee of the Ministry of Railways to apprise the railway administration of the felt need for early resumption of express train services to Chennai on the Karaikudi – Pattukottai – Tiruvarur broad gauge section.
A group of members of the Pattukottai Taluk Railway Passengers’ Welfare Association led by its president N. Jayaraman met the committee members at Srirangam railway station on Thursday and submitted a memorandum in this regard.
The association members also urged the committee to impress upon the railway administration to appoint gatekeepers and other staff in the Tiruvarur – Pattukottai – Karaikudi broad gauge section on a priority basis to resume regular train services.
It wanted reduction of running time of the DEMU services being operated from Tiruvarur to Karaikudi and back from the present six-and-half hours to three hours.
The memorandum further said the Tiruvarur – Pattukottai – Karaikudi section which was laid during the British era as a metre gauge line was converted as a broad gauge in phases in 2018 and 2019.
Train services to Chennai and local passenger trains were suspended during the prolonged gauge conversion works.
After completion of gauge conversion, the Southern Railway was now operating DEMU train with mobile gatekeepers on board.
Further the DEMU train did not have toilet and took about six-and-half hours to run 150 kilometres due to non-appointment of gatekeepers at the level crossings. The long travel time duration taken by the DEMU train was causing immense hardship to pregnant women and elderly persons, it further said. The Tiruvarur District Rail Users Association secretary B. Bhaskaran and others were present on the occasion.
