Ex MP Prabhu's Request To Mamata Banerjee

Former MP R. Prabhu in a memorandum to Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has urged her to expedite the promised extension of the Jodhpur-Bangalore bi-weekly train to Coimbatore. Mr. Prabhu pointed out that in the interim railway budget of 2009-2010, it was announced that conceding the demand of the North Indians residing in Coimbatore, train number 6507/6508 (Jodhpur-Bangalore) bi-weekly express train would be extended up to Coimbatore.

The train is scheduled to run on the Coimbatore – Jodhpur – Coimbatore sector via Ajmer. The train was expected to cater to the long-pending need of the North Indian population living in Coimbatore besides providing an additional connectivity to Bangalore. The North Indians living in Western Tamil Nadu were forced to travel either to Chennai or to Bangalore for their travel to North India. Despite the announcement in the interim budget, nothing had been done yet. He requested the Railway Minister to expedite the process.

CCC's appeal to railway minster !!

The Coimbatore Consumer Cause (CCC) has requested the Railway Minister, Mamata Banerjee, to ensure transparency in the railway budget by removing all hidden charges.

In a memorandum, K. Kathirmathiyon, Secretary of CCC pointed out that during the last four-and-a-half years, the then Railway Minister presented the budget ‘without fare increase,’ but collected additional fares by indirect methods through railway board circulars bypassing Parliament. The Parliamentary Committee on Railways had also criticised the railways for adopting such deceptive practices.

The railways had ‘legalised’ the black-marketing of tickets in reservation in the name of Tatkal.The railways also do not have any norms regarding the facilities, speed, minimum distance, number of stoppages etc. for Express and Super fast trains. Hence, nearly 200 trains were renamed as “super fasts” just to collect additional fares. “We observe that nearly Rs 4,500 crore per year was collected under this category every year.” The day time trains should have only chair car coaches and using sleeper class coaches just to collect sleeper class charges should be stopped.

Similarly, last time after the Railway Minister announced that there was no increase in the freight charges, people were compelled to pay more for the same service and the railways claimed it as dynamic pricing policy/rationalization etc.

Podanur-Pollachi-Dindigul railway line closed !

The metre gauge railway line between Podanur-Pollachi-Dindigul will be closed for gauge conversion work from May 26.

Consequently, there will be no train service in the Podanur-Pollachi and Pollachi-Dindigul sections, a southern railway release said on Friday.Train No.771 Podanur-Dindigul passenger on May 25 would be the last train in the MG section, the release said.

The section would be converted to broad gauge, it said, but did not mention the time frame for completion of the project.

RPF Conducted Raid

Sleuths of Railway Protection Force (RPF) on Monday conducted a drive against ticketless travel in Coimbatore and booked 88 persons and realised Rs 27,000 as penalty from them. The drive was ordered by the Assistant Security Commissioner, Morris Fernandez under instructions from the Divisional Security Commissioner. The drive was conducted by special teams led by Inspector N. Keshavadoss and Sub-Inspector Vijaykumar. Officials said that the drive would be sustained.

Nilgiris Express Services Suspanded

The Southern Railway - Salem Division has announced that the Nilgiris Mountain Railway (NMR) services between Mettupalayam and Coonoor would remain partially suspended till March 6. Originally the service was scheduled to resume on Thursday, but due to fresh incident of forest fire on Wednesday some more sleeper rakes were gutted.

Southern Railway Will Run Special Trains

Southern Railway will run special trains to Coimbatore, Nagercoil, Kannur, Sengottai, Tuticorin, Mangalore, Kollam and Kochuveli and back to meet the demands of the passengers during the summer season. Advance reservations will begin on February 12. Chennai Central–Coimbatore (0621) superfast specials will leave at 10.20 pm on Wednesdays, from April 15 to June 17. Chennai Egmore–- Nagercoil (0601) specials will leave at 8.25 pm on Thursdays, from April 2 to June 25. Chennai Central–Nagercoil (0607) superfast specials (via Erode, Karur, Dindigul) will depart at 12.45 pm on Mondays, from April 6 to June 29.

Chennai Egmore-–Nagercoil (0603) specials will leave at 11.45 pm on Fridays, from April 3 to June 26. Chennai Egmore–Nagercoil 0605 specials will leave at 6.40 pm on Tuesdays, from April 7 to June 23. Train no. 0623 Chennai Egmore–Coimbatore superfast specials (via Chennai Beach, Arakkonam) will leave at 10 pm on Sundays, from April 5 to June 28. Chennai Egmore–Sengottai (0609) specials will leave 8.25 pm on Saturdays, from April 4 to June 27. Chennai Central–Tuticorin (0611) superfast specials via Jolarpet, Salem, Karur will leave at 7.40 pm on Wednesdays and reach Tuticorin at 9.45 am the next day. The services will be operated on all Wednesdays from April 15 to June 24. Chennai Central–Kannur (0625) specials will leave at 10.20 pm on Fridays and arrive at Kannur at 1.20 pm the next day.

The services will be operated on Fridays from April 10 to June 26. Chennai Central–Mangalore (0627) specials will leave at 5 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from April 14 to June 25. Chennai Central-–Kollam (0645) specials will leave at 8.30 pm on Saturdays and Mondays and reach Kollam at 11.30 am the next day, from April 11 to June 25. Chennai Central–Kochuveli (0647) specials via Alleppey will leave at 11.30 pm on Wednesdays and arrive at 4.20 pm at Kochuveli the next day, from April 15 to June 24.

Meeting On “Coimbatore’s Railway Needs”

N.K. Chidambaram, former Member (Electrical), Railway Board, speaking at a meeting organised by Kural on ‘Coimbatore’s Railway Needs’. Lack of adequate railway infrastructure in the State is primarily due to lack of adequate political attention and pressure, said N.K. Chidambaram, former Member (Electrical), Railway Board, Government of India.

He was speaking at a meeting organised by Kural – Voice of Coimbatore here on “Coimbatore’s Railway Needs”. Mr. Chidambaram said that the politicians in Kerala and Bihar paid undue attention for getting new trains and projects for their States. Unfortunately such a situation was not prevailing in Tamil Nadu, hence the State was lagging behind in terms of getting its railway needs fulfilled.

Though the number of passengers and revenue earnings from the Coimbatore Junction had been consistently growing unfortunately the infrastructure was not growing accordingly. There was a pertinent need for developing Podanur and Coimbatore North Junctions into satellite terminals for easing congestion at the Coimbatore Junction. There should be a strong railway network in terms of lines and trains connecting Coimbatore – Mettupalayam – Avanashi – Tirupur - Pollachi and Coimbatore so that pressure on road traffic could be eased considerably.

Coimbatore required direct overnight express train services to places such as Rameshwaram, Tirupati, Kolkatta, Tiruvananthapuram and New Delhi for ensuring better rail connectivity to accelerate the economic growth of this region. In addition, the entire stretch of platforms in Coimbatore should have roofs to protect the passengers from rain and shine. Similarly to handle peak hour rush, there should be additional ticket counters.

Rajasthani Sangh Thanks Lalu

The Rajasthani Sangh has thanked Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and Union Minister of State for Railways R. Velu for extending the Jodhpur–Bangalore Express train up to Coimbatore. The interim railway budget had recently announced the extension of the train up to Coimbatore. A release from Santosh Patwari, Chairman of Railway Committee and Gautam Suman, Chairman of Media Committee said that it was a long pending demand for a direct train connectivity via Bangalore.

RPF Seized 1150 Kgs Of Rice

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel handed over 59 bags of rice meant for distribution under the Public Distribution System (PDS) to the officials of the district administration. The RPF personnel seized the rice bags weighing 1,150 kg, which were about to be smuggled to Kerala in the trains bound for various destinations in that State. The raids and seizures were done by a team of RPF personnel as well as the Assistant Rationing Officer and his team at the Coimbatore Railway Junction.

CCTV Soon In Coimbatore Railway Station

As part of the railway ministry's decision to install an integrated security system at important railway stations in India in the wake of terror attacks at railway stations and trains in different parts of the country, the Southern Railway has upgraded the closed circuit television (CCTV) network and control room at the Chennai Central Railway Station. Southern railway general manager Rakesh Chopra inaugurated the network on Thursday. The new CCTV network now comprises of the latest pan-tilt-and-zoom (PTZ) and fixed cameras that will cover platforms, circulating and concourse halls, as well as entry and exit points at the station.

The system is based on Internet Protocol and has been installed at a cost of Rs 34 lakh. The cameras are capable of covering long distances and can capture images even at low light or zero light, according to Southern Railway. The integrated security system includes the CCTV system, access control, personal and baggage screening system, and explosive detection and disposal system.

Chennai Central already has in place access control, baggage screening and explosive detection systems. Southern Railway has plans to install the integrated security system at all its stations in a phased manner. Chennai Central, Egmore and suburban stations will be covered in the first phase along with Coimbatore, Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram, said a press release. Tiruchi, Madurai, Mangalore and Calicut will be covered in the second phase. With 64 pairs of trains and more than one lakh passengers using Chennai Central everyday, security has been beefed up with sophisticated technology. A bomb detection and disposal squad is present and two luggage scanners were commissioned in 2008.

Lack Of Development Boz Of Lack Of Fund

Derailed plans, delayed departures and late arrivals are synonymous with the railways. The process of doubling of Coimbatore-Irugur railway line which is moving at a snails pace is an example for this. Though the funds had been sanctioned in 1990, officials arent sure of when it would see the light of the day. Except the two-km stretch between the Coimbatore railway station and Coimbatore North, which was taken up in 2002 and completed in two years, no other works have been completed so far.

The authorities have an instant reply - `lack of funds. Sriram Ranganathan, who has been voicing concern over the inordinate delay in completion of project in the portal `Southern Railway Discussion Forum, told that the work on the 15-km-long Coimbatore-Irugur doubling project is virtually showing no signs of any progress. The southern railway general manager Rakesh Chopra, during his inspection of the works in June 2008, had given a final deadline of July 2009 for the completion of Irugur project. Meanwhile, the works on two major bridges on the NH 209 near Textool (Ganapathy) and Hope College (Avinashi Road) are going at a slow pace while work is yet to start at Sanganur bridge (Sivananda Coloy).

Raising a valid point, C M Jayaram, secretary, Citizens Voice Club, an NGO, said that when the work on doubling of railway line in Chennai could be completed in four months, why the six-kilometer stretch between Coimbatore-Podanur couldnt be completed. The Podanur meter gauge line was closed three years ago and only levelling of road has been completed. Work on BG conversion is yet to start, he added. There was much hype that work would move fast after the formation of the Salem railway division. Belying the hopes of the western region people, things had gone bad. Is the Minister of State for Railway listening to this?

WAITING FOR WHOM?: The four current ticket booking counters including one for the differently-abled persons, constructed on the western side of the Coimbatore railway station a few months ago, are yet to be officially commissioned as there is no clarification from the authorities as to whom they are waiting for. Already, there is a huge rush at three of the 10 counters functioning at the main building. Then why there should be a delay in opening the newly constructed counters, commuters ask.

Tirupur To Chennai Train Under Study

Southern Railway is considering a proposal to operate a train service between Tirupur and Chennai. Minister of State for Railways R. Velu conveyed this information to State Minister for Highways and Ports M.P. Saminathan in a letter dated December 16. Mr. Saminathan had sought the service in view of Tirupur becoming a separate district and increasing passenger traffic to the hosiery town.

Coimbatore - Nagercoil Express Derailed

Two coaches of train No.6610 Coimbatore - Nagercoil Express derailed when the empty rakes were being taken to the yard at the city junction today, disrupting operation of several trains.No (no) one was injured in the incident and restoration of the line was expected to be completed around 11 PM, official sources said.

Consequently, the train which was scheudled to leave here at 8.30 PM had been rescheduled to leave at 1 AM tomorrow. Departure of train No.2672 Mettupalayam/ Coimbatore - Chennai Nilgiri Express, No.2674 Coimbatore - Chennai express were likely to be delayed, they said. The other trains that have been delayed were train no.608 Coimbatore - Erode Passenger and No.655 Coimbatore Mettupalayam passenger, the sources said.

High Speed Train Trial

A speed trial at 125 kmph by a special train using Oscillation Monitoring system would be conducted between Erode-Karur-Tiruchirapalli on Dec 17. The trial is being conducted to increase the speed of trains to 110 kmph from the present 100 kmph between Erode-Karur Tiruchirapalli, a Southern Railway release said here today.

The special train would leave Erode at 9.45AM and reach Tiruchirapalli at 11.15 AM on that day, it said. The public were requested to be extra cautious while crossing unmanned level crossing in the section on that day and to be patient while crossing the manned level crossing, since the gates would be closed well in advance to ensure uninterrupted running of the special.

Train Service Resume At Coimbatore Junction

Train services, which were curtailed at Coimbatore junction for more than a fortnight, have been restored, official sources said today. The trains were curtailed at Coimbatore junction from November 25 to December 12, for taking up yard remodelling works. The trains resumed services from the midnight last night. Normal services have been resumed in Coimbatore area, a Southern Railway release said here.

Centenary Celebrations Of NMR In Coimbatore

Colourful dances and fireworks marked the centenary celebrations of the Nilgiri Mountain railways (NMR) in Coimbatore. Women, men and children performed folk dances and also sang songs. Hundreds of residents witnessed the celebration. R.K Rao, the Chief Mechanical Engineer of Southern Railways, said the entire side stretches of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway Train track needed to be beautified by planting colourful flowers and trees to attract tourists.

The metre gauge rail-line, linking Mettupalayam in the plains and high altitude tourist hotspot Ooty, passes through some of the most breathtaking tropical forests of the hilly Western Ghats. The toy train which has four bogies and a steam engine runs on a rack and pinion system from Mettupalayam to Coonoor. In comparison to other mountain railways, the NMR compares with Swiss Mountain Railway System of the Alps in terms of technology and ruling gradient. The steam engine puffs its way through 208 curves, 16 tunnels and 250 bridges during its 45 km journey.

Temporary Stoppage Of Trains At Unjalur

In connection with the 80th Aradhanai celebrations of Sri Seshadri Swamigal Adhistanam at Unjalur, the following trains will be provided with temporary stoppage at Unjalur station for two minutes for eight days from December 14 to 21 for the convenience of pilgrims. The trains are as follows: 384 Coimbatore – Nagercoil Passenger at 10.33 a.m., 888 Palghat Town – Tiruchirapalli Passenger at 10.58 a.m., 825 Erode – Tirunelveli Passenger at 1.18 p.m.

6232 Mysore – Thanjavur Express 01.23 a.m., 6732 Mysore - Tuticorin Express 03.53 a.m., 6866 Ernakulam – Tiruchi Express at 05.08 a.m., 6339 Mumbai CSTM – Nagercoil Express at 5.33 p.m., 6609 Nagercoil – Coimbatore Express at 04.28 a.m., 6787 Madurai – Jammu Tawi Express at 12.38 a.m., 6733 Rameshwaram – Okha Express (weekly) at 03.18 a.m., 6340 Nagercoil – Mumbai CSTM Express at 2.58 p.m., 6231 Mayiladuthurai – Mysore Express at 10.48 p.m., 6865 Tiruchi – Ernakulam Express at 22.28 hours, train number 6731 Tuticorin – Mysore Express at 23.23 hours, train number 383 Nagercoil – Coimbatore Passenger at 4.58 p.m., 887 Tiruchi – Palghat Town Passenger at 3.13 p.m., 826 Tirunelveli – Erode Passenger at 1.18 p.m., 6788 Jammu Tawi – Madurai Express at 9.18 a.m. and 6734 Okha – Rameshwaram Weekly Express at 05.28 a.m.

Special Train Between Coimbatore & Tirupathi

With a view to clearing extra rush of traffic during the winter season, a special train between Coimbatore and Tirupati is being run during December.The train would run from Coimbatore on Dec 16 and 23, while from Tirupati it would be on Dec 17 and 24.Train 0623 starting from here 1035 PM would reach Tirupati the next day at 7.30 AM, and in return direction 0624 would start at 9 PM and scheduled to arrive at 7 AM the next day at Coimbatore, a southern railway release said today.To clear extra rush during the ensuing 'Tirumudi' festival at Melmaruvathur, special trains would be run during December, January and February.

Trains from Coimbatore to Melmaruvathur would be operated on 14,16,18,20,22,24,25,26,27,28 29 31 in December, 2,3,5,6,7,8,10,11,16,17,18 to 29 and 31 in January and 3 to 6 in February, while from Melmaruvathur on 15,17,19,21,23,25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 in December, 1,3,4,6,7,8,9,11,12,17 to 30 in January and 1,4,5, 6 and 7 in February, the release said.

The special would leave here at 10.30 PM and arrive at Melmaruvathur at 8.15 Am the next day and in return direction, it would leave Melmaruvathur at 6 PM to reach at 4 AM the next day.Specials from Erode to Melmaruvathur would be run on 20,22,24,26,28 30 in December, 1 3 5 7 9 in January and 6 in february, while from Melmaruvathur on 21,23,25,27,29 31 in Dec 2,4,6,8,10 in January and 8 in February. Train would leve Erode at 9.45 pm and from Melmaruvathur it would leave at 10.30 PM. Specials to Melmaruvathur would be run from Tirupur and Sankaridurg also, the release said.

Bomb Hoax Call In Mangalore Express

Mangalore-bound Chennai-Mangalore Mail was searched thoroughly at Podanur and Tirupur railway stations on Friday following an anonymous call that a bomb would explode in the train between Ottapalam and Shoranur in Kerala. According to sources, Railway DSP Palakkad today received a call around 1 am stating that the bomb would explode at some place between the two stations after that he informed the Railway DSP, here.

Later on, a thorough search was conducted and when no explosives were found the call was declared to be a hoax and the train was allowed to continue its journey. Police, along with bomb detection and disposal squad and sniffer dogs, carried out another search at Podanur railway station, on the city outskirts around 4.30 am, which also yielded no explosives. Due to the bomb scare the train was delayed by one hour and created panic among the passengers in the early hours, the sources said.

Pollachi And Palakkad Gauge Conversion Work From Dec 10Th Onwards

The metre gauge section between Pollachi and Palakkad (56 km) will be closed for traffic from December 10 to facilitate gauge conversion work. This section is part of Dindigul- Pollachi – Palakkad/Coimbatore gauge conversion project (225 km) sanctioned by the Railway Board. The total cost of the project is about Rs. 558 crore. According to a Southern Railway official, contractors had already been fixed for the project and the work would start immediately after suspension of the traffic. The project will be taken in two phases.

In the first phase conversion of Pollachi – Palakkad section will be taken up. In next phase conversion of Dindigul – Pollachi and Pollachi – Pothanur /Coimbatore sections will be taken up. Consequent to the closure of the line the following will be revised pattern of services on the Pollachi – Palakkad section:

Trains fully cancelled: Train nos.765/762 and 767/766 Palakkad – Pollachi Passengers; train no.768A/773 Pollachi - Podanur Passengers; train no.768/761 Dindigul - Palakkad Passengers; and train no.764/763 Dindigul – Palakkad Passengers. Train nos 775/776 Palakkad – Dindigul Passengers are partially cancelled between Palakkad and Pollachi, according to the railway official.