The Thanjavur District Railway Users’ Association has requested Southern Railway to operate a special service on April 23 from Vaitheeswarankovil to Karaikudi for the benefit of padayatra pilgrims from Pudukottai and Sivaganga districts.
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Thanking Southern Railway for providing stoppages for various trains at Vaitheeswarankovil during the last two years on the days when the padayatra pilgrims from Karaikudi and Sivaganga left Vaitheeswarankovil after completing their pilgrimage, TDRUA secretary A. Giri said the gesture was best utilised by the pilgrims on April 26, 2022 and on April 25, 2023.
This year, the pilgrims would commence their return journey on April 23 after offering their prayers to Sri Vaithayanathaswamy at Vaitheeswarankovil. Hence, the association had requested Southern Railway to operate a one-way special train to connect Vaithiswarankoil and Karaikudi through Tiruchi and Pudukkottai to leave Vaitheeswarankovil around 11.00 a.m., before the departure of Cholan Superfast Express on April 23.
The suggested special train may also have stoppages at Namana Samudram, Chettinad and Kottaiyur stations apart from other major stations to facilitate de-boarding. An early announcement of a special train would enable the padayatra coordinators to give wide publicity among participants, he pointed out.