Work on conversion of the metre gauge into broad gauge conversion has been taken up on the Tiruvarur – Tiruthuraipoondi – Karaikudi segment after a prolonged delay.
The Tiruvarur–Karaikudi section to a length of 185.78 km formed part of the Mayiladuthurai–Tiruvarur–Karaikudi gauge conversion project, which was included in the Railway Budget 2007-08 for implementation of the project in phases.
The project was then planned to be executed at Rs.700 crore.
The MG track conversion work (38 km) on the Tiruvarur–Mayiladuthurai section had already been completed, and engine rolling had been done. The gauge conversion from Tiruvarur to Karaikudi is now being taken up in the consecutive phase.
The delay in taking up the conversion work in this section has caused concern among the people of Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam district.
Passengers from Tiruthuraipoondi, Adirampattinam, and Pattukottai remain hard hit by the inordinate delay in the BG conversion works in this section. Senior citizens have to incur additional expenditure for hiring taxi to reach Thanjavur from Adirampattinam for their onward travel to Chennai.
It is felt that the work should be executed on an expeditious basis. Adequate funds should be allotted periodically for its completion, says a cross section of train commuters. D. Manoharan, Deputy general secretary of the Dakshin Railway Employees Union said that though the work was being executed on an expeditious basis between Peravurani and Karaikudi, similar effort was lacking on the Pattukottai segment.
Given the speed of execution, it would take at least one more decade for the project to be completed, he said, indicating the section was closed for gauge conversion about five years ago.
