Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Gauge conversion works to be completed this year

CHENNAI: The ongoing gauge conversion between Villupuram and Mayiladuthurai and Vellore and Tiruvannamalai, and the existing Podanur – Coimbatore metre gauge line will be completed in the current year.

According to Southern Railway General Manager Rakesh Chopra, other projects which are likely to be completed in the current fiscal, included doubling of Irugur – Coimbatore and electrification of the Villupuram – Tiruchi section. Completion of these projects will provide the requisite capacity and seamless connectivity.

He said 2008 was a productive year for the zone as it had completed conversion of Karaikkudi – Manamadurai, Tirunelveli – Tiruchendur and Katpadi – Vellore sections. The completion of these projects had given impetus to the unigauge connectivity.

With regard to passenger traffic, Mr. Chopra said the zone had registered 12.5 per cent growth over last year with a corresponding increase of 19 per cent in earnings. In the freight front, it zone had recorded 18 per cent higher loading in the current financial year up to November 2008, in comparison with the corresponding period of the previous year. He said maximum utilisation of available resources had helped in catering for this overwhelming increase in traffic. Mr. Chopra said the zone would redouble its efforts to provide value-added services to the public.

There would be no compromise on safety parameters. Safe running of trains and security to passengers should continue to be the highest priority. While the zone would endeavour to complete the infrastructural projects on time, customer satisfaction would be its foremost task in all areas of public interface. Customer satisfaction was the ultimate goal and reward for a public utility organisation like Railways, he said.

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