Date:10/07/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/07/10/stories/2004071005750600.htm

Tamil Nadu

Rs. 21.75 crores for amenities at railway stations

By Our Staff Reporter

MADURAI, JULY 9. Southern Railway will spend Rs. 21.75 crores on minimum essential amenities in all stations this year. While Rs. 9 crores has been earmarked for Chennai Central/Egmore, Rs. 47 lakhs will be spent for upgrading facilities in Madurai. ``We plan to eliminate deficiencies in minimum essential amenities by March next. The focus will be on providing drinking water, waiting hall and toilet facilities, besides making the railway premises friendly to physically challenged passengers,'' the Additional General Manager, K.K. Pande, told reporters here yesterday.

All major gauge conversion projects would be completed in five years. After the completion of the Villupuram-Mayiladuturai, Tiruchi-Manamadurai, Madurai-Dindigul (doubling) projects, traffic congestion in the Chennai-Madurai section would ease.

``We are trying to increase the average speed to introduce more superfast express trains.'' The Chennai-Guruvayur-Chennai Express would soon get the superfast status.

The Madurai-Dindigul doubling project was targeted for completion in two years. At places where gradient was a problem between Madurai and Dindigul, a diversion from the meter gauge alignment would be taken. A survey report was sent to the Railway Board for converting the Dindigul-Coimbatore metre gauge section.

Southern Railway would soon have five high power (WDP-4) locomotives. One of these would haul the Madurai-Chennai-Madurai Pandiyan Superfast Express. As for the Madurai-Rameswaram project, work was nearing completion up to Mandapam. Expert opinion from international construction firms was sought for building a new bridge across the sea to connect Rameswaram.

Mr. Pande said the Commissioner of Railway Safety would inspect the newly-laid Rajapayalam-Tenkasi broad gauge line on July 13, 14 and 15. Conversion work on the Tenkasi-Shencottah stretch would be completed in six months.

``Though the allocation for gauge conversion is only Rs. 80.06 crores this year, we hope to get supplementary grants up to Rs. 170 crores.''

Major gauge conversion and doubling projects were now being entrusted to Rail Vikas Nigam Limited, which had fund support from the Asian Development Bank.

Earlier, the Additional General Manager held a high-level meeting with senior officials of the Madurai division to review the progress of ongoing projects.

The Chief Planning and Development Engineer, Rakesh Goel; the Chief Engineer (Construction), Srivatsav; the Deputy Chief Engineer (Planning), P. Verma; and the Madurai Divisional Railway Manager, B.N. Rajasekhar, took part.