The Thanjavur District Railway Users’ Association has sought direct rail connectivity between the delta districts and New Delhi. The association has come up with the demand that the weekly Hazrat - Nizamuddin - Chennai Central Garib Rath express could be extended up to Tiruchi via Villupuram, Chidambaram, Mayiladuthurai, Kumbakonam and Thanjavur.
The railway administration could consider the demand as the extension of the Garib Rath express train up to Tiruchi would be beneficial to rail users in the delta region to proceed to the national capital directly without a change over at Chennai, said the association secretary A. Giri. The demand for a rail connectivity between the delta region and the national capital had been kept for a more than a decade now, he added.
The rake of the Garib Rath express was idle at Chennai Central for about 81 hours and hence the train could be extended up to Tiruchi via Villupuram, Chidambaram, Mayiladuthurai, Kumbakonam and Thanjavur thereby fulfilling the expectations of the rail users in the delta region, Mr. Giri said.
The association had in the month of June sent a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to advise the railway ministry to provide a direct connectivity between the delta districts and the national capital region by extending the weekly service of the Chennai Central - Hazarat Nizamuddin - Chennai Central expresses (Train No 12611 /12612) up to Tiruchi via mainline section covering Chidambaram, Mayiladuthurai, Kumbakonam and Thanjavur and rename it as Sengol Garib Rath express to commemorate the installation of the ‘Sengol’ in the new Parliament building.
