Temporarily Change in Express timings due to maintenance work

Due to the maintenance work in rail path between Chengalpattu - Tindivanam, the timing of 6 express trains has been changed temporarily from 6th - 8th september, 2013.

• According to that, for three days, Vaigai Express from Madurai will arrive at Chennai Egmore with a delay of two hours instead of 2:40 pm. 
• Same like that, Vaigai Express which starts at 1:20pm from Chennai Egmore to Madurai  Vaigai Express will have a halt for 50 minutes in Villupuram. 
• Chennai Egmore - Karaikudi Pallavan Express train will start from Chennai with a delay of 90 minutes.  
• Cholan Express from Tiruchirappalli will arrive Chennai Egmore with a delay of one hour.
• Also, Chennai Beach - Melmaruvathur Passenger train has been partially cancelled between Chengalpattu and Melmaruvathur. 
• The Chengalpattu - Melmaruvathur passenger train has been canceled completely.

34 coaches of Uzhavan Express have bio-toilets

Uzhavan Express that was flagged off from here on September 1, qualifies to be called a ‘green express’ as bio-toilets have been fitted into 34 of its 36 coaches. “Except first AC and AC two-tier coaches, all the other 34 coaches have been fitted with bio-toilets,” said Southern Railway officials.
    Indian Railways, at present, is running 1,400 coaches with 3,800 bio-toilets in various trains, according to a Southern Railway press release issued here on Thursday. In the first four months of the current year, more bio-toilets have been fitted into coaches than the entire number fitted in the last three years. The number of bio-toilets fitted into passenger coaches from April to July this year was 2,285, against 1,337 bio-toilets fitted during 2012-13, 169 during 2011-12, and 57 during 2010-11.
    The first bio-toilet-fitted train, Gwalior-Varanasi Bundelkhand Express, has been running since January 2011. After receiving encouraging feedback from the users and railway maintenance staff, the pace of fitment of these bio-toilets into passenger coaches has been ramped up. In its endeavour to take all necessary steps to keep station premises clean, Indian Railways is now manufacturing all-new conventional passenger coaches fitted with bio-toilets. A colony of anaerobic bacteria convert human waste mainly into water and small amount of gases (methane and CO2) in the bio-toilets has been fitted underneath the lavatories in coaches. The gases emit into the atmosphere and waste is discharged after chlorination onto the track. Human waste thus does not fall on the railway track. This procedure is environment-friendly and improves the working condition for the railway track staff.
    The toilets, according to the press release, will not function if they are chocked with plastic bottles, paper cups, cloth rags, sanitary napkin, nappies, plastic poly bags and pouches. The environment-friendly, low cost and robust technology has been developed jointly by the Indian Railways and Defence Research and Development Organisation. The bacteria used in the bio-toilet has been collected and analysed by DRDO from Antarctica and the efficiency of this system has been tested in extreme climates and conditions like those at Siachen Glacier. The anaerobic bacteria can survive in extreme climates and when exposed to common disinfectants.

Uzhavan Express skips Mambalam station!!!

Making its second journey since inauguration on Sunday, Uzhavan Express from Chennai Egmore junction missed Mam­balam station on its way to Thanjavur on Monday.

   Over 60 travelers who reached the station on time and had valid (reserved) tickets stood on the platform and helplessly watched the train cross Mambalam railway station. 
The loco pilot of Uzhavan Express forgot to make the scheduled stop at Mambalam. And he did not realize missing a scheduled stoppage until he reached Tambaram. But, the RPF personnel at Mambalam station  informed their counterparts in Tambaram and managed to get travellers onboard the same train. The RPF team sent the “left out” travellers by an EMU and also kept Uzhavan Express waiting at Tambaram. 

   "Our intervention caused a 30-minute delay. It could further increase the punctuality pressure the loco pilot faces. But, we were happy when we saw the travelers heave a sigh of relief after boarding the train at Tambaram,” said an RPF officer. “It is quite common for loco pilots to fall short on punctuality, but this is unheard of. Such incidents are very rare,” remarked a railway source in the know of things. The loco pilot could be someone who regularly pilots southbound trains that do not have stoppage at Mambalam. With Monday being the second trip of Uzhavan Express, the loco pilot could have followed his earlier schedule and overlooked the stoppage list of this train No. 16183, the source added.

Velankanni special train has been recommended to run daily

Due to the long time demand of Kanyakumari District People, Velankanni special train is operating from Nagercoil during the festival seasons in Velankanni. Kanyakumari district has a large Catholic population. The flow of traffic towards Velankanni was perennial all through the year. But the devotees did not have direct train services to Velankanni, for which demands have been raised by various sections of people, over the last few years. Since regular trains were not available for Velankanni, passengers had demanded special trains for the annual Velankanni festival last year, but Southern Railway did not heed to these requests. This year too, large number of pilgrims would be visiting Velankanni from Kanyakumari district for the festival. Absence of train and adequate bus services force these pilgrims to commute in hired cabs or buses. For their convenience, the Southern Railway has been requested to operate special trains between August 29 and September 8 from Nagercoil to Velankanni.

   Now, it is  recommending to run this special train (Nagercoil-Velankanni) as a daily express train for the benefits of Kanyakumari people.

Details on the trains' new number

1. Chennai Egmore - Mangalore Express train number 16107/16108 (the new number: 16859/16860)

2. Chennai Central - Mysore Kaveri Express

Train number 16021/16022 (the new number: 16221/16222)

3. Chennai Egmore - Rameswaram Express train

Number 16101/16102 (the new number: 16701/16702)

4. Chennai Egmore - tiruchendur Express train

Number 16105/16106 (the new number: 16735/16736)

5. Karaikal - Ernakulam Express train number

16187/16188 (the new number: 16865/16866)

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.