Title - Rail commuters seek new road to Vanchi Maniyachi

Rail commuters from Tuticorin are clamouring for a better road link to reach Vanchi Maniyachi station on time to board trains, according to the All India Chamber of Commerce and Industries (AICCI), Tuticorin.J.P.Joe Villavarayar, former president of the AICCI, on Tuesday complained that only a few evening trains started from Tuticorin.Therefore, many Chennai-bound passengers here have long felt the need for a daytime train.While some day trains to Chennai do touch Maniyachi, people from Tuticorin find it difficult to reach the station on time. Many passengers prefer to take the circuitous route to Kovilpatti to catch trains, he points out.“Many commuters from Tuticorin take private luxury buses plying in the morning hours.The railway authorities should explore the possibility of introducing additional daytime train services,” Mr.Villavarayar said.S.Natarajan, Chairman, V.O.Chidambaranar Port Trust, Tuticorin, told The Hindu that a proposal to lay a new road link to Maniyachi station was pending with the Southern Railway authorities.

The existing road between Tuticorin and Vanchi Maniyachi, which was around 43 kilometres, could be shortened by half if a new road skirting the railway line was laid, allowing passengers to board around 36 trains passing through Vanchi Maniyachi, he claimed.

The project could be pursued under the Centrally-sponsored Prime Minister’s Rural Road Scheme, Mr. Natarajan suggested.

Highways Divisional Engineer Krishnasamy said a feasibility study was under way.