TIRUCHY: With passengers avoiding unnecessary travel due to the coronavirus outbreak, Southern Railway (SR) is experiencing a drop in footfall. Though the ongoing situation has so far not created a major impact on SR, sources said officials are considering the situation to take a final call on the need for additional trains during the summer holidays. “Normally, most railway zones would announce special trains during the summer holidays. This year, we are not expecting the usual footfall. If the number of passengers decreases in the coming weeks, we would avoid announcing additional trains,” a source said.
SR may use opportunity to complete safety-related engineering works. “Currently, most SR divisions are conducting several safety-related modernisation works.
If footfall drops in the coming weeks, SR would announce more cancellations to finish these works,” an engineer said. In fact, the trend has already started and Tiruchy railway division on Monday announced engineering works in Madurai division would affect services of a few trains passing through the division.
The division said the Mayiladuthurai-Dindigul Passenger (Train No.56821/56822) would remain cancelled between Dindigul and Tiruchy on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays till March 21. But from March 22 to 28, services wo be cancelled between Dindigul and Tiruchy on all days. Similarly, the Tiruchy-Rameswaram-Tiruchy Passenger (Train No.56829 / 56830) would remain cancelled between Manamadurai and Rameswaram on all days except Sundays till March 28. Apart from these trains, a few more would face such partial cancellations in the future due to the engineering works in Madurai division.