An additional overnight train must be introduced between Thoothukudi and Chennai so as to cater to the growing needs of rail passengers, said Piramanayagam, secretary, Tuticorin District Passengers’ Welfare Association.
He said here on Wednesday that Pearl City Express, the only overnight train between these two destinations, could not meet the heavy rush of passengers all through the year. Thoothukudi being an important business hub, it needed another overnight train to Chennai. An additional train would also reduce the milling crowd and waiting list in Pearl City Express, he said.
The association had urged the railway authorities to operate an additional train which reached Chennai Egmore before 7 a.m. and departed from Chennai Egmore after 9 p.m. Many passengers had been demanding such convenient departure and arrival timings for the past many years for the existing train. Hence, this demand could be met with the introduction of the additional train.
It must be borne in mind that Thoothukudi, being a major port in Tamil Nadu, had been generating huge revenue for the Indian Railways by means of freight and passenger traffic. However, it lacked matching railway infrastructure and train services, Mr. Piramanayagam said.. A memorandum with these demands had been submitted to J. Jeyasingh Thiyagaraj Natterjee, Thoothukudi MP, who had promised to take the matter with the railway authorities, he added.
