CHENNAI: Nearly three months after the commissioner of railway safety (CRS) cleared the section, the 23.5 km Karaikal-Peralam broad-gauge line was opened for passenger train operations last week. The original metre-gauge line, which connected the delta districts with Karaikal — the erstwhile French settlement in Puducherry UT — had been in service since 1898. It was shut in 1987 after services had been suspended for over three years and was later abandoned due to commercial and operational reasons.
Adding to the cheer of passengers, the railways announced that a special train between Villupuram and Nagapattinam will be operated via Karaikal - Peralam line, with stoppage at Thirunallar, a prominent pilgrimage centre in Karaikal. The maiden passenger service is to be launched on Friday.
According to officials from the Tiruchy division of Southern Railway, the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (Mumbai)-Velankanni Express special and the Charlapalli-Tiruvarur special, operated for the Velankanni festival, were routed through the Karaikal-Peralam line instead of the usual Mayiladuthurai-Tiruvarur section for the past two days. However, these services did not have intermediate stops. “Running trains on the new BG line eliminates engine reversal at Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam, reducing travel time by at least 40 minutes,” an official said.
The official further added other special trains from Mumbai and different parts of the country to Nagapattinam and Velankanni would also be routed via the new line.
A Giri, former member of the Divisional Rail Users Consultative Committee (DRUCC) for Tiruchy, said, “We have long been requesting a daily passenger service from Thanjavur to Velankanni via Kumbakonam and Thirunallar, mainly for pilgrims visiting the Navagraha temples. The railways should not confine this line only to freight and festival specials.”
An official railway release announced that Villupuram-Nagapattinam MEMU passenger specials would run on August 29 and September 8 via Karaikal and Peralam, with halts at Tirunallar. The train will leave Villupuram at 9.10 am and reach Nagapattinam at 1.05 pm.
On the return, it will depart Nagapattinam at 1.20 pm and arrive at Villupuram at 5.30 pm, stopping at Cuddalore Port, Chidambaram, Mayiladuthurai, Peralam, Karaikal, and Nagur along the way. To ensure better connectivity, two special trains will run from Nagapattinam to Velankanni for passengers travelling to the temple festival, added the statement. The Southern Railway, last year, had proposed to divert existing Tambaram-Karaikal Kamban Express and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (Mumbai)-Karaikal Express trains to operate via Karaikal-Peralam instead of Tiruvarur to eliminate locomotive reversal at places.