Title - First regular express train stops in Namakkal district

There was a festive spirit at Mohanur and Namakkal railway stations as the Palani to Chennai Express Train — via Namakkal — chugged into the district from Karur, amid celebrations on Wednesday night.“We are delighted to welcome the first regular express train service connecting Namakkal,” people who thronged the railway station and distributed sweets said.The train entered the Mohanur Railway Station (the first station in this district) from Palani at 9.24 p.m., from where it came to the Namakkal Railway Station and stopped there at 9.44 p.m.People who gathered in the railway stations to celebrate the arrival of the first regular express train to the district, lighted fireworks and distributed sweets to all the passengers in the train.Department officials said that initially they had planned for only one stop for the train in this district — at the Namakkal Railway Station. “Member of the Parliament (MP) of Namakkal S. Gandhiselvan made a representation to the General Manager of Southern Railways to stop the train at Mohanur, after which a one-minute stopping was introduced in the Mohanur Railway Station,” the officials added.

The officials said that, but for the two passenger trains that ran between Salem and Karur via Namakkal, only six special trains stopped in Namakkal.

“A few weeks ago, the Chennai to Madurai Duronto Express became the first express train to be operated on the Karur to Salem stretch,” the officials said.

However, it did not benefit people of Namakkal district as it does not stop anywhere between the starting point and the destination.

They added that this route helped the railways save travel time by about one hour compared to the earlier route — when the Duronto Express had to take a diversion from Karur to Erode, change the engine at Erode and proceed to Chennai through Salem — and vice versa.

Palani-Chennai train

About the Palani to Chennai Express Train, railway officials said that the train from Palani with Chennai recorded 100 per cent booking on the first day (Wednesday) and the waiting list was mounting for the second day (Thursday night).

Namakkal MP S. Gandhiselvan, the Additional Division Railway Manager (Salem Division) V. Thavamani Pandi, other railway officials and members of the public thronged the railway station to receive the train.

For passengers from Namakkal, an express train connecting them to Chennai was a dream come true.

Train will have stops in Mohanur and Namakkal railway station