Rail Budget: Tamil Nadu smiles at promises to keep

If the railway budget proposals are implemented in earnest, train commuters in Tamil Nadu have a good year ahead. The state has got a reasonable share of the railway pie this year. But for an increase in fare, rail users can rejoice as the budget has sanctioned more trains, new lines and just enough funds to carry forward ongoing projects to double, electrify and convert tracks in the state.
The focus seems to have been to fill up the gaps in infrastructure development, capacity and connectivity. The railway budget presented by minister Dinesh Trivedi has proposed 13 new trains, including four passenger trains, besides extending six trains and increasing the frequency of four trains.
Chennai’s suburban network will get 18 new services and railways have approved a feasibility study to make Royapuram railway station into a passenger terminal on the lines of Egmore or Central. Officials and passengers should be equally happy as rail infrastructure in the state is bound to improve if the proposals take shape. One of the two proposed lines includes connecting Avadi with Guduvancherry via Sriperumbudur and Oragadam. However, only `50 crore has been allocated for doubling of the Chengalpet-Villupuram line, which is crucial for the railways plans to introduce more trains and cut travel time substantially.
The project needs `233 crore for completion. Southern Railway chief public relations officer V J Accamma said the budget met all demands of the region. “We’ve got what we asked for. Funds have been sanctioned for ongoing projects,” she said. Passengers, too, sounded by and large happy.
“The budget is satisfactory in terms of the number of trains and other proposals. But the ministry should have provided maximum funds for doubling of the Madurai-Chennai track which is crucial to operate more trains and cut down travel time. It looks like the doubling will take more time to be completed,” said S R Sri Ram, a member of the Kanyakumari Rail Users Association. The decision to upgrade Coimbatore Junction as an Adarsh station with state-of-the-art facilities has made people of the region happy. Residents of Coimbatore and neighbouring areas had been accusing the railway board of neglecting the station for long despite it being the second largest revenue earner Southern Railway.
The decision to electrify the Coimbatore-Mettupalayam sector, plan to introduce new MEMU train linking Palakkad and Erode with Coimbatore, introduction of a train from Coimbatore to Bikaner via the Konkan region, extension of Palakkad–Mangalore inter-city train up to Coimbatore, extension of Coimbatore– Erode MEMU train up to Salem, daily running of Bangalore-Kochuveli Express via Coimbatore instead of weekly twice and introduction of Tirunelveli-Dadar express via Coimbatore have won wide appreciation of Coimbatore residents. The Tiruchirappalli division which has long been neglected by railways due lack of powerful political representation had some reason to be happy with two new trains being announced: The daily Tiruchirappalli-Tirunelveli Intercity Express running via Madurai, and the Mannargudi-Trichy-Manamadurai that would also run daily.
The new surveys announced in the budget such as Dindigul – Bodi – Kumili, doubling from Madurai – Kanyakumari with electrification has come as an advantage for residents of Madurai region. Broad conversion works between Shengottai – Bhagavathipuram, Virudhunagar – Aruppukottai and Palani – Pollachi were also welcomed by people in the southern districts. As part of its green initiatives, railways has decided to set up two bio-diesel plants at Tondiarpet, a ‘rail neer’ drinking water bottling plant at Palur, and a wind mill power plant of 72 MW capacity.
Times View
The budget announcement of 13 new trains for Tamil Nadu and 18 more for Chennai’s suburban services should bring a smile to the average commuter’s face. But more trains can ensure better services only if the complementary facilities are upgraded. More railway lines, as discussed in detail in TOI reports today, have to be converted, doubled and extended to allow more trains to pass through, carrying more passengers in less time. Coimbatore has reasons to be happy with the plan to convert the station into a state-of-the-art junction. There is also a proposal to study the feasibility of converting Royapuram into a terminal. South Chennai needs a terminal in Tambaram. This has been approved in principle, but not much has happened on the ground. Train travel is not just the experience inside a bogey; the transit, ticketing, waiting, boarding and alighting all count. This budget may promise a happy chugging on the rails, but we still have miles to go to get there.
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