The Railway Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu will dedicate the second line between Ariyalur and Mathur, a 25-km electrified stretch on the 273 kilometre-long Villupuram-Tiruchi-Dindigul section where track doubling work was under way, to nation through video conferencing from Chennai on July 24.
Divisional railway officers from Tiruchi are expected to be at Ariyalur station on that day.
The Villupuram-Dindigul doubling project is being executed by the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) on different stretches simultaneously. The first portion to be commissioned a few years ago under the project was the stretch from Valadi to Ariyalur (50 km). Thereafter, the double line in the portion from Vriddhachalam to Tiruvennainallur was thrown open to traffic after obtaining safety clearance from the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS). Later, the CRS inspected the line from Ariyalur to Mathur falling in the Villupuram – Tiruchi chord line section in March.
The remaining portions where doubling works were on were Villupuram - Tiruvennainallur; Vriddhachalam – Mathur and Valadi to Tiruchi. RVNL authorities say the double line works were in the advanced stage between Villupuram and Tiruvennainallur.
Officials exude hope that the double line between Villupuram and Tiruvennainallur would be ready in a month or two before inviting the CRS for inspection. Doubling works were proceeding swiftly between Valadi and Tiruchi and from Vriddhachalam to Mathur, say the authorities adding that the works would be completed before the end of the current fiscal.
There were some issues pertaining to land acquisition in the portion from Manapparai to Tamaraipadi, the sources said. The RVNL is executing the Villupuram – Dindigul doubling project at an estimated cost of Rs. 1,200 crore.
Laying of a double line would ease congestion in the chord line section especially during night when movement of train services reaches its peak and eventually lead to reduction in travel time, say officials.
