Chennai : Tamil Nadu seems to have got a fair share of new trains and other projects from Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal.
The state has got several new express trains and one new passenger train.
The frequency of six trains has been increased while services of eight trains have been extended.
The minister, presenting the railway budget for 2013-14 in the Lok Sabha, also announced construction and survey for new and doubling of lines.
The state will also get a skill development centre for training the youths in railway related trades. The centre will be located in Tiruchirapalli.
The number of cars in electric multiple units (EMU) has been increased to 12 from nine in 30 services.
Presenting the railway budget, Bansal announced the introduction of 67 new express trains, of which the following trains touch the state:
– Bikaner-Chennai AC Express (Weekly) via Jaipur, Sawai Madhopur, Nagda, Bhopal, Nagpur
– Chennai-Karaikudi Express (Weekly)
– Chennai-Palani Express (Daily) via Jolarpettai, Salem, Karur, Namakkal
– Chennai Egmore-Thanjavur Express (Daily) via Villupuram, Mayiladuthurai
– Chennai-Nagarsol (For Sai Nagar Shirdi) Express (Weekly) via Renigunta, Dhone, Kacheguda
– Chennai-Velankanni Link Express (Daily) via Villupuram, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur
– Coimbatore-Mannargudi Express (Daily) via Tiruchirappalli, Thanjavur, Nidamangalam
– Coimbatore-Rameswaram Express (Weekly)
– Howrah-Chennai AC Express (Bi-weekly) via Bhadrak Duvvada, Gudur
– Mangalore-Kacheguda Express (Weekly) via Dhone, Gooty, Renigunta, Coimbatore
– Nagercoil-Bangalore Express (Daily) via Madurai, Tiruchchirappalli
– Puducherry-Kanniyakumari Express (Weekly) via Villupuram, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruchchirappalli.
Announcing a new daily passenger train between Palani-Tiruchendur, Bansal increased the frequencies of the following trains:
22615/22616 Coimbatore-Tirupati Express – three to four days; 12687/12688 Madurai-Dehradun/Chandigarh Express – one to two days; 56321 Kanniyakumari-Tirunelveli Passenger six to seven days; 56325 Nagercoil-Kanniyakumari Passenger six to seven days; 56312 Tirunelveli-Nagercoil Passenger – six to seven days.
The minister also extended the services of:
16127/16128 Chennai-Madurai portion of Chennai-Guruvayur Express to Tuticorin; 12605/12606 Chennai-Tiruchchirappalli Express to Karaikudi; 12653/12654 Mangalore-Tiruchchirappalli Express to Puducherry; 56513/56514 Bangalore-Nagore Passenger to Karaikal; 56700/56701 Madurai-Kollam Passenger to Punalur; 56709/56710 Madurai-Dindigul Passenger to Palani; 66304/66305 Kollam-Nagarcoil MEMU to Kanniyakumari; 76837/76838 Karaikudi-Manamadurai DEMU to Virudunagar (after gauge conversion).
The new projects that would be taken up by the railways during 2013-14 are: Thanjavur-Pattukkottai (new line); Chennai Central-Basin Bridge Junction (5th and 6th lines).
He said surveys for new lines (Aloor-Nagarcoil-Chettikulam; Karaikkudi-Madurai (updating); Thanjavur-Ariyalur (Updating); Tirunelveli-Sankarankoil via Pettai, Pudur, Sendamaram Veerasigmamani) and doubling of lines (Tirupati – Katpadi) will be taken up during 2013-14.
Of the 22 projects for new lines and one gauge conversion project to be taken up on socio-economic consideration announced by Bansal, the one in Tamil Nadu is Sriperambudur-Guduvanchery with spur to Irunkattukotti, Avadi.
The railway sections proposed to be doubled in 2013-14 are: Ariyalur-Sendurai, Golden Rock byepass, Ottivakkam-Karunguzhi, Tiruvottiyur-Ennore, Tozhuppedu-Olakur-Tindivanam, Ulundurpet-Parikkal, Vridhachalam Junction to Ulundurpet.
The new line project to be completed next fiscal is: Walajah Road-Arcot.