Title - Special train to Velankanni sought

Railway users appeal to Southern Railway

The Kanyakumari District Railway Users Association has urged the Southern Railway to operate Velankanni special train service for the benefit of people from all walks of life particularly the devotees.In a memorandum to Union Minister for Railways, C. P. Joshi, the secretary of the association , P. Edward Jeni stated that Kanyakumari district has a large Catholic population.The flow of traffic towards Velankanni was perennial all through the year. But the devotees did not have direct train services to Velankanni, for which demands have been raised by various sections of people, over the last few years.Since regular trains were not available for Velankanni, passengers had demanded special trains for the annual Velankanni festival last year, but Southern Railway did not heed to these requests. This year too, large number of pilgrims would be visiting Velankanni from Kanyakumari district for the festival. Absence of train and adequate bus services force these pilgrims to commute in hired cabs or buses. For their convenience, the Southern Railway has been requested to operate special trains between August 29 and September 8 from Nagercoil to Velankanni.Southern Railway regularly used the idle rakes of the Nagercoil-Gandhidham weekly express, Kanyakumari-Nizamuddin Bi-weekly express to operate special trains to Chennai and Mangalore during Summer or Winter or festival seasons.It has also utilized the idle rake of Kanyakumari-Dibrugarh weekly express to operate special train to Chennai. Thus, special services could be possible with these idle rakes. As the festival date was nearing, and as pilgrims have already started booking cabs or buses, it was requested that adequate number of special trains be operated during the festival, and an early announcement in this regard be made by the Southern Railway, said Mr.Jeni.