Indian Railways' projects in Tamil Nadu

[Arasu]

Can someone also throw some light on whether this rail route was always there or this (or sections of it) is a newly laid route?

Thanks.

[Arul Murugan]

Tiruvarur-Nagore BG line cleared for traffic



S.Vydhianathan

CHENNAI: The Commissioner of Railway Safety has cleared the newly converted Tiruvarur-Nagore broad gauge line for passenger traffic.

Commissioner K.J.S.Naidu inspected the new BG line last week along with Chief Administrative Officer R.Ramanathan and conducted various mandatory checks on the 30-km stretch, constructed at a cost of Rs.75 crore.

With this, the Nagore-Tiruvarur-Thanjavur-Tiruchi conversion project is completed. While the stretch from Tiruchi to Thanjavur (58 km) was converted long back, the work between Thanjavur and Tiruvarur was over a few months ago.

Even after the conversion, Nagore will have no direct rail link from Chennai as Mayiladuthurai-Tiruvarur section still remains as metre gauge section. The Railway Board had already cleared the conversion of 38 km stretch and the work would start in January. It would take at least a year and a half for completion, according to a railway official.

Meanwhile, the Southern Railway will write a letter to Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi requesting him to inaugurate the newly converted Tiruvarur-Nagore line for traffic. The second line from Kodaikanal Road to Madurai (40 km), which is part of the Dindigul–Madurai double line project, would be completed before March 2009. Once it is completed there would be double lines between Dindigul and Madurai as the portion from Dindigul to Kodaikanal Road was already completed, he added.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/26/stor...2659780500.htm

[nagamoney]

Interesting thing is the much saught after railway line and the most repaying the investment inthe railine, is that touch the southern end of tamilnadu, but the speed with which making double line is not in tune with those taken elsewhere for example, a railway line was strectched to Anna nagar in chennai, for names sake, and only a few take it,
anna nagar, where I lived for some time, is a place of rich and almost all have car and bike and they seldom use railway line , the money used for such unused to the full, could have been diverted to the needy line, Instead of looking in to the need , concentrating to paper advertisement, the ministery of railway is hood winked and the people representavies have their own problem, and they fail to bring to thenotice of the management ,what isneeded in their locality.

[nagamoney]

The money for upgrading and modernisation of railway can be had by letting use the sky above all railway stations , that is constructing multi storeyed building over the railway staions, catering to the need of the comercial and others, so that platforms will all be covered and the commuters can have their daily needs be bought in the railway station itself and the movement in the street will be minimised.

[dis.agree]

Originally Posted by nagamoney

Interesting thing is the much saught after railway line and the most repaying the investment inthe railine, is that touch the southern end of tamilnadu, but the speed with which making double line is not in tune with those taken elsewhere for example, a railway line was strectched to Anna nagar in chennai, for names sake, and only a few take it,
anna nagar, where I lived for some time, is a place of rich and almost all have car and bike and they seldom use railway line , the money used for such unused to the full, could have been diverted to the needy line, Instead of looking in to the need , concentrating to paper advertisement, the ministery of railway is hood winked and the people representavies have their own problem, and they fail to bring to thenotice of the management ,what isneeded in their locality.

railway line was never stretched to anna nagar. it always existed. it has been in use by icf for many decades.

[Rasnaboy]

Vellore: Minister of State for Railways R. Velu laid the foundation stone for a railway station at Sholinghur on Sunday. It will be one of the 19 railway stations planned on the upcoming Tindivanam-Nagari rail route.

Speaking at a function held in this connection, Mr. Velu said that when dismal projections for the new line did not favour the project, he had insisted on considering the benefit it could provide for economy. He had also taken it up with P. Chidambaram and Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad. The new railway line will help to improve economy of the regions through which the train passes. Places located upto five km from both sides of the track all along the new route would prosper, he said. Mr. Velu expressed satisfaction over the volume of new projects being executed by the Railways in Tamil Nadu. “We are at present laying new lines to a length of 907 km under seven projects. Electrifying 700 km of this stretch in total is no ordinary thing,” he said.

Earlier, Chief Engineer (construction) of Southern Railway S. Venkatesan said that the 180-km railway between Tindivanam and Nagari would be laid at the cost of Rs. 725crore and about 500 hectare of land would be acquired.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/29/stor...2953500300.htm

[Rasnaboy]

Rs.357.75 crore for the 49-km work in the ghat section

VIRUDHUNAGAR: The long-pending Shencottah-Punalur gauge conversion work has been sanctioned, and the tenders will be floated soon, Minister of State for Railways R. Velu said on Monday.

“We have sanctioned Rs.357.75 crore for the 49-km work in the ghat section,” Mr. Velu said here, after inspecting the gauge conversion between Virudhunagar and Manamadurai.

Though the average cost of gauge conversion was as high as Rs.7 crore for every km, he was keen on executing the work, as it served more than one purpose, he said. “It is a shorter route connecting Tamil Nadu with Kerala and will help in the trade link between the two States. Besides, it will do away with the ordeal of transhipment of passengers at Shencottah and Punalur.”

Mr. Velu said he conducted a daylong survey of the route, along with the Railway Board Member (Engineering) and evolved a method for carrying out small alterations in the five tunnels. Besides, “marginal” technical corrections would have to be done to accommodate the broad-gauge track. Instead of a different alignment for the broad-gauge track, the officials preferred “easing” of the sharp curves. The bridges would be reinforced, instead of being replaced.

The Virudhunagar-Manamadurai gauge conversion would be completed by December next year. “Many bottlenecks had been cleared after a long-drawn process. The cost has escalated by more than 60 per cent, from Rs. 98 crore to Rs. 160 crore,” Mr. Velu said.

The 67-km project involved many improvement works too. Mr. Velu said many projects could not be taken up owing to the increase in the cost of cement, steel and labour. “But now the cost has come down, and many contractors are coming forward to execute the works.” The construction of major bridges on the main line, which was delayed by natural calamities, was at an advanced stage, he said.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/30/stor...3053970500.htm

[Into_salem]

Chug into future With expansion as mantra, S Rly set to Seven new trains, 300 coaches to cater to rise in traffic


Chennai: The world may still be shrouded in the uncertainty of the economic slowdown, but Southern Railway is set to chug off into a brighter year, taking with it an increasing number of passengers and freight.
Year 2008 may have posed some problems for rail passengers, but the year ahead promises to be better, with more trains and more routes to choose from, as Southern Railway is finalising elaborate plans to meet future traffic demands.
Railways is also speeding up work to complete the Velachery- St Thomas Mount link of Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS), which together with Metro Rail, will pose a credible alternative to the sluggish road traffic in Chennai.
“The growth is going to continue, especially because there is demand for more trains and more routes. The road ahead is challenging because we will need a lot of coaches because four gauge conversion projects have already been completed and two doubling and two electrification works will be over by March 2009. This means we will have to reintroduce the services discontinued when the works were taken up,” said Southern Railway chief public relations officer Neenu Ittyerah. “We are going to bring in more trains, more coaches and locomotives and also maintenance yards to meet passenger growth.”
So, passengers will get at least seven new trains, while as many as 300 coaches will be added to existing trains to accommodate more passengers across destinations in 2009.
The expansion is based on the lessons of 2008. Passenger traffic, which has been on the rise since 2003-04, peaked this year, resulting in tremendous demand for trains from Chennai to destinations in the state such as Tiruchi, Madurai, Nagercoil Tirunelveli and Coimbatore, apart from Bangalore.
Bangalore emerged as one of the most popular destination for people travelling from the city, as air passengers switched to trains because of increasing air fare and the distance of the new Devanahalli airport in Bangalore to the city centre.
Hundred special trains will be operated every month to these high-patronage routes in 2009. Works of gauge conversion and doubling of existing routes have been kicked off.
Gauge conversion of the Katpadi-Vellore Cantonment line and introduction of a mainline EMU service between Vellore and Chennai recently has changed the way people travelled between these two cities.
Short-term measures adopted by Southern Railway this year has got mixed responses. While the high demand showed passengers lapping up every new service, the introduction of a third side berth had the passengers squirming, literally.
“The demand for berths is so high that we are forced to go ahead with coaches that have extra side berths, though it is unpopular among passengers. We have also placed orders for 300 new coaches. They will be used to prepare new rakes and also to make 22 trains into 24-coach trains,” said a senior railway official.
Already 11 trains have 24 coaches. In other trains, extra coaches were added to clear the extra rush on a dayto-day basis.
Changing with the times, railways added new stainless steel trains and also came out with a proposal to make designs and fixtures more attractive and commuterfriendly in suburban services.
Passenger traffic has been growing at a steady pace since 2003. Year 2008 saw an unprecedented increase in passengers — 9.8%in the suburban trains and 13.95% in other trains, till November this year.
WORKS COMPLETED
Karaikudi-Manamadurai (61.16 km) gauge converted on July Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur (61.21 km)gauge converted in September Katpadi-Vellore Cantonment (9.90 km) gauge converted in November Dindugal-Kodai Road (26 km) in October
TO BE READY IN 2009
Electrification of Villupuram-Ariyallur section (107 km)
Third line between Tiruvallur-Arakonam (26.83 km)
Third line between Korukkupet-Ennore (11 km)
Tiruvarur-Nagore (30 km)

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Defau...Mode=HTML&GZ=T

[Rasnaboy]

The Union railways ministry has sanctioned over Rs 3,000 crore to Southern Railway (SR) for capacity enhancement, which includes doubling of 1,109 km rail track.

Of the proposed amount, SR has set aside Rs 358 crore for doubling of track between Tiruvallur and Arakkonam (26.83 km), and Korukkupet and Ennore (11.95 km) during the current year. Doubling work on 380 km is already complete, an SR spokesperson said.

During the current year, freight earnings increased 20.8 per cent to Rs 1,074.04 crore from Rs 889.09 crore last year. Similarly, earnings from passenger traffic increased 19 per cent. As against an average 50.4 million passengers carried per month last year, the railways have been carrying 56.7 million passengers this year.

This apart, freight loading between April and November during the year 2008-09 increased 18 per cent over last year and 7 per cent over the target. Loading of coal rose 16 per cent, cement 37 per cent, fertiliser 25 per cent and limestone 60 per cent.

In an effort to increase the freight traffic, the Railway Board granted freight discount on cement traffic last month.

Speaking about the electrification projects, the spokesperson said a total of 1,181 km of electrification had been sanctioned for the railway (including Villipuram–Katpadi) of which 320 km was so far complete. Another 178 km will be completed in the current fiscal.

Source: http://www.business-standard.com/ind.../22/06/344769/

[Rasnaboy]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Security for passengers shall continue to be the highest priority

The zone will redouble its efforts to provide value-added services to people
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHENNAI: The ongoing gauge conversion between Villupuram and Mayiladuthurai and Vellore and Tiruvannamalai, and the existing Podanur – Coimbatore metre gauge line will be completed in the current year.

According to Southern Railway General Manager Rakesh Chopra, other projects which are likely to be completed in the current fiscal, included doubling of Irugur – Coimbatore and electrification of the Villupuram – Tiruchi section. Completion of these projects will provide the requisite capacity and seamless connectivity.

He said 2008 was a productive year for the zone as it had completed conversion of Karaikkudi – Manamadurai, Tirunelveli – Tiruchendur and Katpadi – Vellore sections. The completion of these projects had given impetus to the unigauge connectivity.

With regard to passenger traffic, Mr. Chopra said the zone had registered 12.5 per cent growth over last year with a corresponding increase of 19 per cent in earnings. In the freight front, it zone had recorded 18 per cent higher loading in the current financial year up to November 2008, in comparison with the corresponding period of the previous year. He said maximum utilisation of available resources had helped in catering for this overwhelming increase in traffic. Mr. Chopra said the zone would redouble its efforts to provide value-added services to the public.

There would be no compromise on safety parameters. Safe running of trains and security to passengers should continue to be the highest priority. While the zone would endeavour to complete the infrastructural projects on time, customer satisfaction would be its foremost task in all areas of public interface. Customer satisfaction was the ultimate goal and reward for a public utility organisation like Railways, he said.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2009/01/02/stor...0259410500.htm

[chidambaram_mech04]

Originally Posted by Rasnaboy

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Security for passengers shall continue to be the highest priority

The zone will redouble its efforts to provide value-added services to people
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHENNAI: The ongoing gauge conversion between Villupuram and Mayiladuthurai and Vellore and Tiruvannamalai, and the existing Podanur – Coimbatore metre gauge line will be completed in the current year.

According to Southern Railway General Manager Rakesh Chopra, other projects which are likely to be completed in the current fiscal, included doubling of Irugur – Coimbatore and electrification of the Villupuram – Tiruchi section. Completion of these projects will provide the requisite capacity and seamless connectivity.

He said 2008 was a productive year for the zone as it had completed conversion of Karaikkudi – Manamadurai, Tirunelveli – Tiruchendur and Katpadi – Vellore sections. The completion of these projects had given impetus to the unigauge connectivity.

With regard to passenger traffic, Mr. Chopra said the zone had registered 12.5 per cent growth over last year with a corresponding increase of 19 per cent in earnings. In the freight front, it zone had recorded 18 per cent higher loading in the current financial year up to November 2008, in comparison with the corresponding period of the previous year. He said maximum utilisation of available resources had helped in catering for this overwhelming increase in traffic. Mr. Chopra said the zone would redouble its efforts to provide value-added services to the public.

There would be no compromise on safety parameters. Safe running of trains and security to passengers should continue to be the highest priority. While the zone would endeavour to complete the infrastructural projects on time, customer satisfaction would be its foremost task in all areas of public interface. Customer satisfaction was the ultimate goal and reward for a public utility organisation like Railways, he said.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2009/01/02/stor...0259410500.htm

cbe-igu(16 km totally out of which 2 km is completed) doubling started in early 1990's. Till now its an incomplete project. Now also GM said its llikely to be completed this year. he itself cannot assure when this project ll be completed.(he said likely to be completed) I think this is the one of the slowest project in the history of southern railways(may be indian railways too).

[calculus_ask]

Kumbakonam Railway Station gets facilities at a cost of Rs.3 crore

KUMBAKONAM: Passenger amenities are being improved at the Kumbakonam Railway Station at a cost of Rs.3 crore. The facilities include new ticket booking counter, approach roads to the station, goods shed, facelift to the entrance and infrastructure facilities. Concrete flooring is provided to the platforms to avoid slippery tiles. The cycle stand would also be renovated.

Divisional Railway Manager Subramanyam who inspected the works recently told presspersons that Mayiladuthurai-Villupuram broad gauge conversion would be completed by May 2009. Commissioner of Railway Safety has completed safety inspection in the Tiruvarur-Nagore section and soon trains will start running in this line. “May be by the end of January trains will be operated in this section,” he said.

Once the main line was completed, more trains would be operated on this line from Tiruchi to Chennai, he added.

http://www.hindu.com/2009/01/06/stor...0657540600.htm

[Arul Murugan]

Originally Posted by chidambaram_mech04

cbe-igu(16 km totally out of which 2 km is completed) doubling started in early 1990's. Till now its an incomplete project. Now also GM said its llikely to be completed this year. he itself cannot assure when this project ll be completed.(he said likely to be completed) I think this is the one of the slowest project in the history of southern railways(may be indian railways too).

Chidambaram,

If i am correct the project started in 1997 or 98... Southern railway has not completed this simple 18KM doubling for past 10 years.

Even after the formation of Salem railway division, they were not able to complete the project in 1 year and now the GM is telling it is likely to be over. This shows there is no one to follow up the project.

Earlier at least, we saw protest from CBE for this delay, now we are not able to see such protest and the salem railway division is also sleeping!!

Atleast this time the game should end, but the updates about hopes and text tool bridge is not at all satisfied one!!

It should not happen like 18KMs took 18years!!

[Rasnaboy]

Hyderabad-based construction and infrastructure development company Maytas Infra Limited has bagged a project worth Rs 110 crore from the Southern Railway. The work involves doubling of the broad gauge track between Chengalpattu and Villupuram in Tamil Nadu. Maytas Infra will execute the project in joint venture with Chennai-based CT Ramanathan and Co in 18 months from the date of agreement.

“The project, when completed will aid Southern Railway significantly ease the traffic flow between Chengalpattu and Villupuram. We look forward to deliver this project on time,” VV Rama Raju, chief financial officer of Maytas Infra, stated in a press release on Tuesday.

Source: http://www.business-standard.com/ind.../22/51/345417/

[Rasnaboy]

Nagercoil: The government has allotted Rs.400 crore for electrification of the Kanyakumari-Thiruvananthapuram railway line, according to Minister of State for Railways R.Velu. Steps would be taken to electrify the Chennai - Kanyakumari track.

He was in Kanyakumari to inaugurate the annual conference of Railway Protection Force personnel on Wednesday. He told reporters that the government would explore ways and means to operate bullet trains in different parts of the country. A team of officials would visit Japan to study its functioning. Railway Minister Lalu Prasad would lead the team.

The Railways had decided to operate ‘railway tourism’ services, covering important spots in the country.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2009/01/08/stor...0852750400.htm

[Rasnaboy]

CHENNAI: Minister of State for Railways R.Velu inaugurated a new battery-operated car for persons with disability at the Central Railway Station here on Thursday. The Minister said this was a New Year gift for persons with disability.

The four-seater car is pollution-free and has sufficient luggage space, making it convenient to move about inside the station, he said. The car is provided by Srishti Communications. The Southern Railway would generate revenue through advertisements for maintaining the car.

Addressing presspersons after the launch, the Minister said Indian Railways was mulling over restricting internet ticket bookings to 50 per cent so that those going to the counters were not at a loss. He said that the night service of Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) would be extended, and a train service is likely to be introduced after 10 p.m.

As of now, the timing of the last train leaving Beach station for Velachery is 9.40 p.m. South Railway general manager Rakesh Chopra said that the night service train would be introduced on an experimental basis to test the patronage level.

In view of the Pongal rush for train bookings, Mr.Velu said many express trains had been introduced to meet the increased demand. Since express trains such as Nellai-Kanyakumari currently had only 18 to 21 coaches, whereas its capacity could be increased up to 24 coaches, he said he would consider increasing the carrying capacity of express trains to cater to increased demand. He said some platforms were not long enough to station 23 coach trains and they were currently being extended.

With regards to the bridge work on the Villupuram-Mayiladuthurai railway line, they were progressing rapidly, he said.

By April the Egmore-Tiruchendur main line will be ready for use, he said.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2009/01/09/stor...0957430200.htm

[lakshman]

Any of u have idea how this rail line is porposed esp after mamallapuram .I heard its is going to go exactly facing sea .Is it possible to construct rail line in the just 600 meter from sea.Any idea for some one post it.

[chidambaram_mech04]

Originally Posted by Arul Murugan

Chidambaram,

If i am correct the project started in 1997 or 98... Southern railway has not completed this simple 18KM doubling for past 10 years.

Even after the formation of Salem railway division, they were not able to complete the project in 1 year and now the GM is telling it is likely to be over. This shows there is no one to follow up the project.

Earlier at least, we saw protest from CBE for this delay, now we are not able to see such protest and the salem railway division is also sleeping!!

Atleast this time the game should end, but the updates about hopes and text tool bridge is not at all satisfied one!!

It should not happen like 18KMs took 18years!!

Funds have been alloted earlier(am not sure of exact year). Recently MoSR has given 2 deadlines sept'08(during inaugral food plaza at CBE) and jan'09(during inaugral of Valankulam ROB). Before that there were many deadlines given. That too he promised works ll be finished and opened for traffic very soon. Divisional Railway Manager shri.S.Mohan was also there during this meeting when our Hon'ble MoSR commented this statement.What has happened now? How many deadlines does CBE has to face for completion of such a small portion besides the high revenue from CBE. Because of this many trains like ERS-SBC(2683/4), CAN-YPR(6527/8), TVC-CSTM(6331/2), MAQ-MAS(2601/2, 2685/6),etc. are bypassing CBE. Most of the Special trains skips CBE. Because of this many trains have to face crossings at PLMD, CBF, IGU which leads to time delay.

Many MG sections in Tamilnadu got converted to BG(Which were started after CBE-IGU 16 km doubling got completed). Is This doubling much more complex than those Gauge Conversions?? I appreciate those works by SR but at the same time here after atleast this project should be taken up fast.

[Rasnaboy]

TIRUCHI: With the new broad gauge work from Nagapattinam to Velankanni apace, authorities expect its completion by June.

The project is being executed at a cost of Rs.30 crore.

The completion would enable direct train services to Velankanni.

The earth work, construction of bridges and establishment of level crossing gates are in full swing in the 10-kilometre line.

The stretch will have three major bridges, 20 minor bridges and six manned level crossing gates.

Railway officials told The Hindu here that two major bridges and 12 minor bridges had been constructed and works were on to finish the rest. Track linking was expected to be taken up in April, said the officials.

The station building at Velankanni had already been completed, they said.

The Church contributed Rs.1 crore to the railways for the project several years ago. The Nagore-Karaikal broad gauge work to be completed by March next. Being carried out at a cost of Rs. 65 crore, the 10-kilometre new line is part of the Tiruchi, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Nagore, Karaikal gauge conversion project.

New station buildings would be constructed at Karaikal and T.R. Patnam.

The section would have seven major bridges, 40 minor bridges and 12 level crossings, the officials said.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2009/01/19/stor...1950310100.htm

[chidambaram_mech04]

Lack of funds derail Railway projects in Kovai


Express News ServiceFirst Published : 19 Jan 2009 01:41:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 19 Jan 2009 11:20:04 AM ISTCOIMBATORE: 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 snail’s pace is an example for this. Though the funds had been sanctioned in 1990, officials aren’t 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 Express 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, Citizen’s 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 couldn’t 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.

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/s...yXZKtxw==&SEO=