Encouraged by the good response to the recently introduced Erode - Salem - Attur - Chennai Egmore day time express train on a trial basis, various associations have urged the Southern Railway to regularise the service.
A day-time inter-city express from Salem to Chennai Egmore via Attur was a long pending demand of the commuters of the western districts.
In the absence of a day time train, the commuters of major trading centres such as Attur and Vazhappadi had to depend on buses, which plied on circuitous route.
The Southern Railway announced the introduction of day time special train on an experimental basis from September 23 till November- end.
This train is being operated on five days in a week - Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Hari Shankar Verma, Divisional Railway Manager, hinted that this service will in probability become a regular service if it enjoyed a good patronage.
The reserved ticket fare is Rs. 145 from Salem to Chennai (unreserved fare Rs. 115).
“About 40 passengers board this train at Salem Town, Vazhappadi, Attur and Chinnasalem to Chennai”, says a senior officer of the Salem Railway Division. In the return direction too more than 70 passengers alight at Attur alone, he adds.
The commuters are happy that this train has enabled the people of Salem and Erode districts in reaching destinations such as Villupuram, Melmaruvathur, Tindivanam, Chengalpattu and Tambaram during day time.
Various organisations have taken steps for popularising this train among commuters by displaying flex boards and banners and distributing pamphlets containing details of the train timings and fare to sustain the service.
L. R. C. Ravishankar, president of the Attur Chamber of Commerce, said that the response to this service from the very beginning has been very encouraging. Even, service enjoys more patronage than the night service in this section, he adds.
The Chamber has distributed pamphlets and has been campaigning among the local trading community to take full advantage of this train, Mr. Ravishankar said. He urged the Railways to regularise this service and also ply it as an inter-city express.
