Title - Madurai-Rameswaram day train on track

Madurai-Rameswaram sector by the Ramanathapuram Chamber of Commerce, District Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the people from various walks of life finally bore fruit on Monday, with the Southern Railway conceding to their demand.The Southern Railway cancelled the existing night trains, which leave Madurai and Rameswaram past midnight and converted them as day train from Monday.

Office-bearers of Ramanathapuram Chamber of Commerce, led by its president P.Jagadeesan and secretary R.Govindarajan, offered a warm reception to Rameswaram-Madurai passenger (Train No.56722) when it arrived here at 12.55 p.m., after leaving the pilgrim town at 11.50 a.m.

Mr.Jagadeesan welcomed the train by honouring loco pilot Ramalingam, his assistant Saravana Kannan and guard Subramanian, even as other office-bearers distributed sweets to the passengers, celebrating the day train service.

The passenger train, which leaves Rameswaram at 11.50 a.m., reaches Madurai at 2.40 p.m. and stops at Mandapam, Ramanathapuram, Paramakudi, Manamadurai. In the return direction, the Madurai- Rameswaram (Train no.56721) leaves Madurai at 11.50 a.m. and arrives Ramnad at 1.35 p.m. and Rameswaram at 2.40 p.m. We are happy that the Southern Railway finally conceded our demand though it meant cancelling the night train,” Mr.Jagadeesan and Mr.Asmabagh Anwardeen, president of the District Chamber of Commerce, said. Passengers were happy about the introduction of the day train as they could travel to Madurai from Rameswaram and Ramanathapuram at a fare of Rs.30 and Rs.20 respectively. The train was a huge relief to Mr.S.Chellapandi of Madurai who is working as an insurance agent and travels almost daily to Ramnad. He had been spending close to Rs.150 to Rs.200, a day on travel. “Now my travel expenses will drastically come down thanks to the day train,” he told The Hindu .

Arumugam, a resident of Madurai who works in a sweet shop in Paramakudi, says he could substantially save his travel expenses, thanks to the introduction of the day train. Mr.N.Malaikannu, Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee member, suggested that the Southern Railway could run the Dindigul-Madurai passenger and Sengottai-Madurai passenger trains as shuttle between Madurai and Rameswaram during daytime as the trains remained idle after reaching