Train passengers of this region express their dismay over delay in reintroduction of day-time trains between Rameswaram and Madurai, and additional train services to Tiruchi, as announced by Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) A.K. Goel on July 25, 2010 during his visit to Rameswaram.
While the Southern Railway resumed one pair of train services between Tiruchi and Rameswaram after converting the metre gauge section into broad gauge, it did not resume day-time passenger trains (train numbers 795 and 796e) between Madurai and Rameswaram.
The Madurai-Rameswaram and Tiruchi-Rameswaram sections are among the profitable and highly-patronised routes in the division ever since Rameswaram found a place in the railway map of the country several decades ago.
The concern of the passengers is that even three years after completion of gauge conversion work between Madurai-Rameswaram and Tiruchi-Rameswaram sections, on an outlay of more than Rs.500 crore, the railway authorities have not taken steps to maximise the revenue or fully recover the huge investment made on these sectors.
While admitting the availability of three pair of trains between Madurai and Rameswaram, which were running either at night time or early morning or evening, passengers say there is no train service in the day-time. It would greatly benefit people from Rameswaram, Ramanathapuram and Paramakudi areas.
“All buses between Rameswaram and Madurai or Tiruchi are overcrowded except the point-to-point buses owing to ever increasing passenger patronage. But the railway tracks which were laid by spending several crores are remaining idle for several hours during day-time. It is high time the Southern Railway made use of the available facilities to the maximum extent,” said a passenger.
Recalling the announcement made by the DRM, the passengers said that the promise should have been kept long back. They added that they were not demanding the introduction of new trains but resumption of services that were operated on metre gauge. The public response would be huge if those popular trains were reintroduced.
