TJ – MS train service is finally fixed

Thanjavur - Chennai new train service will start its journey in the first week of the September as assured by Railway Board Chairman.

   Railway Board Chairman, Arunentira Kumar said that the new train service between Thanjavur - Chennai would begin in the first week of September 2013. The name has not yet been finalized for the new train. Regarding this new rail service, the announcement will be released on end of this August (Monday or Tuesday).

   Also, the issue regarding the cancellation of extension of Rock Fort Express train service will be clarified after the introduction of Thanjavur – Chennai train service.

Southern Railway timetables in short supply!!!

Southern Railway released the new timetable for EMU and express trains on July 1, but the revised copy is not available at ticket counters at Chennai Central and other suburban stations across the city. In absence of sales at the railway counters, touts are reported to be selling the timetables to passengers at an increased price.
    

SR time table valid from July 2013-2014

   While a copy of the time table can be purchased at 15 at a regular counter at a station, the price in black goes up to 50. Many passengers complain that they are forced to wait for long hours and that some of them even miss the train in the absence of the timetable listing the new timings.
    
   S. Velmuthu, a senior citizen said, “I couldn’t find a single copy of the timetable at the stations. As I don’t have access to the internet, I am forced to call the railway enquiry numbers every time to confirm the train timings,” he said.

   Mohan Ram, a member of the divisional rail user’s consultative committee, said that some of the railway staff were purchasing bundles of new timetables and distributing them to their friends and relatives. This has resulted in a shortage of time tables, he said. “However, we have requested the Divisional Railway Manager to print additional copies and we hope that it will be available by the end of August.” He also said that though there was no rule prohibiting bulk purchase, the committee had asked the authorities to prevent the railway employees from purchasing several copies for personal use.
    
   A Southern Railway official said that a fresh stock of timetables had recently been dispatched for sales at counters. “The stock keeps coming in when there is a shortage,” he added.

ADDITIONAL SPECIAL TRAINS FOR VELANKANNI FESTIVAL

Railways have decided to run two additional special trains between Mumbai and Karaikal to clear the extra rush of passengers during Velankanni Festival. The details of service as under –
 
Special train (01027) will leave Lokmanya Tilak Terminus at 12.05 hrs on 24.8.2013 (Saturday) and will arrive Karaikal at 18.45 hrs next day.
01028 special train will leave Karaikal at 13.35 hrs on 26.8.2013 (Monday) and will arrive Lokmanya Tilak Terminus at 23.45 hrs next day.

Halts: Thane, Kalyan, Lonavla, Pune, Solapur, Gulbarga, Wadi, Raichur, Guntakal, Gooty, Kadapa, Renigunta, Arakkonam, Chennai Egmore, Tambaram, Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Tirupadaripulliyur, Chidambaram, Sirkazhi, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Nagore.

Composition: one AC 2-tier, one AC 2-tier cum AC 3-tier, Two AC 3-Tier, 10 Sleeper class, 2 General second class and 2 General second class cum guard’s brake vans.

Reservation: Bookings for 01027 will open from 22.8.2013.

Palakkad - Erode passenger train is partially cancelled till 26thAugust

Palakkad Town - Coimbatore electric train service was extended to Erode from 13^th May 2013. This train will leave Palakkad at 2:30p.m and arrive Erode at 7.00p.m. Then, from Erode, it will leave at 7.45a.m and will reach Palakkad at 12.30p.m. During the week, the other days except on Thursday, this runs as the passenger train. In this case, due to a new set Broadband railway line planned between Podanur - Pollachi R. S.., Palakkad Town - Erode passenger train service stopped yesterday.
   
   Till August 26th, train service between Erode - Palakkad Town was canceled as announced by the railway officials. Instead, the train operates only between Palakkad Town – Coimbatore till 26^th August.

Request of extending Hyderabad - Chennai Express to Kanniyakumari

Rail users in the district have urged the railway authorities to operate daily trains from Kanyakumari to Hyderabad through Tirunelveli and Madurai, which, according to them would benefit nearly 15 districts in the state. They further said that the operation of such train would help a large number of people employed in Hyderabad and also increase the inflow of tourists.

    The Kanyakumari District Railway Users' Association (KKDRUA) has proposed the extension of 12603/12604 Chennai - Hyderabad - Chennai Express to Kanyakumari which will meet their demand.

    According to S R Sriram, president of the association, Kanyakumari district is provided with connectivity to all major cities like Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore through daily train services and destinations like New Delhi, Howrah, Jammu Tawi through weekly train services. However, the important connectivity to Hyderabad is lacking for the region though thousands of people from the region are employed in various fields especially in the IT sector. "We urge the railways to extend the Chennai - Hyderabad -Chennai Express daily to Kanyakumari so that it will serve large number of people. It should be noted that the trains originating from Chennai towards Hyderabad hardly travel 70 km in the state and if extended, it will serve people of 15 districts of the state," he said.

Shout for the Thanjavur - Chennai train service

The Thanjavur-Tiruchi Rail Passengers Association has appealed to the Southern Railway to introduce quickly an express train from Thanjavur to Chennai, the time table for which was announced by it earlier.   
   This was necessary now as the Rockfort Express was being short-terminated in Tiruchi from August 28, said members of the association who staged a demonstration in front of the railway station here on Friday demanding introduction of Thanjavur-Chennai Express. Members of Thanjavur Mootha Kudimakkal Peravai participated in the agitation.  
   The protesters demanded a stop for Mannargudi-Coimbatore Chemmozhi Express and Rameswaram-Chennai Express at Budalur. They appealed to the Southern Railway to complete the work on platform number one in Thanjavur station quickly. Ayyanapuram K. Nadarajan, President of the Rail Passengers’ Association, V. Jeevakumar, Legal Adviser of the association, Adhi Nedunchezhiyan from Mootha Kudimalla Peravai participated in the agitation.

Science Express gained a cheerful response in Trichy

The 2013 edition of Science Express-Biodiversity Special (SEBS), an innovative mobile exhibition on a specially designed train, which was stationed in Tiruchi junction for four days commencing Sunday, evoked an overwhelming response.

Visitors watching the science exhibition at a train, ''Science Express'',in Tiruchi on 11/8/2013

Not only a large number of students from schools and colleges drawn from across the central districts visited the exhibition, even people from different walks of life took advantage of the opportunity to understand biodiversity of different geographical zones of India, climate change, sustainable environment and energy conservation.

Over 80,000 people, including students, visited the exhibition in the last four days. On Wednesday, which was the last day of the four, over 32,000 people, including 10,000 students and teachers of 120 schools visited the exhibition, according to railway sources. In the current phase, the express was flagged off from Delhi Safdarjung on April 9 this year and will run across the country to 62 locations till October 28. The Science Express will be halted next in Koodal Nagar near Madurai city for four days. Later, the train will arrive at Coimbatore on August 23.