Rail users of Pattukottai and Tiruvarur have appealed to the Tiruchi railway divisional authorities to introduce express train services to Chennai from Karaikudi in the Karaikudi- Pattukottai - Tiruvarur at the earliest after getting approval.
A memorandum containing the demand for introduction of express train services from Karaikudi to Chennai and back was given to the Divisional Railway Manager, Tiruchi by the Pattukottai Taluk Railway Passengers’ Welfare Association.
Although Diesel Electric Multiple Unit services were being operated in the Tiruvarur - Pattukottai - Karaikudi broad gauge section barring Sundays, following completion of broad gauge conversion work, by deploying mobile gatekeepers on board the passenger train from Tiruvarur to Karaikudi and back, the railway administration was yet to commence express train services due to non-deployment of full-time gatekeepers along the stretch.
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Mr. Jayaraman said the Tiruchi railway divisional authorities had informed them that the issue of deploying gatekeepers on full-time basis in the Tiruvarur - Pattukottai - Karaikudi stretch was being seriously looked into and that the matter would be addressed in the coming months for operation of express trains.
The association in the memorandum appealed to the divisional railway authorities to explore the possibility of bifurcating the Mannai Express and attaching a portion of coaches of the train at Tiruvarur Junction on both directions as a link train up to Karaikudi via Pattukottai.