While rail services have resumed in the Kollam-Sengottai route, the conversion of passenger trains into express trains is causing great inconvenience to commuters from the eastern parts of the district.
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“The decision to convert Kollam-Tambaram, Punalur-Guruvayoor and Punalur-Madurai services into express trains should be reconsidered. The express trains will not have stoppages at Edamon and Thenmala, making it difficult for passengers,” said N.K. Premachandran, MP.
The Punalur-Sengottai section was completed as part of the 325-km Kollam-Sengottai-Tenkasi- Tirunelveli- Thiruchendur gauge conversion project. Train services in this section was stopped for broadening in 2010 and the rail route was commissioned in March 2018.
“Operating only express trains in the route will prevent the benefits of multi-crore gauge conversion from reaching the public. The stoppages at Thenmala and Edamon should be restored,” he said.
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The Railways had suspended all services in Kollam-Sengottai route post lockdown and Egmore Express was the first train to resume operations as a special service on October 26. The Egmore Express, which started off as a tri-weekly service on an experiential basis, was made a daily train from March 2019.
The service was started after gauge conversion and in early days it ended at Tambaram. Before the conversion, there was a daily Chennai-Egmore-Kollam train operating in the route which got cancelled when the works for conversion began. It was a long-standing demand of the travellers from Kollam to restore the service.
At present, the Egmore Express will operate as special Train No.06101 with two AC 3-Tier coaches, eight sleeper class coaches and two general second class coaches reaching Kollam from Chennai on 8.45 a.m.
Train number 06102 in return direction will leave Kollam station at 12 noon and arrive at Egmore at 3.05 a.m. the next day. The train earlier had stoppages at Sengottai, Bhagavathipuram, Aryankavu, Tenmala, Edamon, Punalur, Auvaneeswaram, Kottarakara and Kundara.