CHENNAI: To better serve passengers, the frontline railway staff, including Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel, commercial clerks, ticket examiners and station masters, who hail from other states and are posted in Tamil Nadu, will be imparted training in the Tamil language hereafter, said Southern Railway general manager R N Singh here on Friday.
“The railway staff who interact with people have to speak in the language the passengers understand. They (staff) will be trained to converse in Tamil in Tamil Nadu, and Malayalam in Kerala,” Singh answered reporters to a query on frequent altercations erupting between passengers and railway staff due to language barriers at many stations. Singh was briefing the media persons on the budget allocation for railway projects in the State.
The union budget has earmarked Rs 6,080 crore, its highest ever allocation for the railway projects in the state, for 2023-24, said Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Disclosing the budget allocation details through videoconferencing from New Delhi on Friday, Vaishnaw said more railway stations will be upgraded with world-class amenities. Last year the state was allotted Rs 3,865 crore for railway projects.
Singh said, “Tenders have been awarded and civil works commenced for the redevelopment of Chennai-Egmore (Rs 734.9 cr), Katpadi (Rs 329.32 cr), Kanniyakumari (Rs 49.36 cr), Madurai (Rs 347.48 cr), Rameswaram (Rs 90.20 cr) and Puducherry (Rs 72.1 cr) railway stations. In addition, a techno-economic study is being conducted for the redevelopment of Kumbakonam, Tirunelveli, Tambaram, Chennai Central, Avadi and Coimbatore stations.”
On the introduction of the second Vande Bharat express train for Tamil Nadu, Singh said they proposed to introduce a second Vande Bharat in the Chennai-Coimbatore section. “The speed of the track from Chennai-Jolarpettai will be increased to 130 kmph from May or June. Beyond Jolarpettai, the trains can run at 110 kmph till Coimbatore,” he added.
Commenting on the introduction of new trains in the Theni-Bodinayakkanur section, which was recently commissioned, Singh said the decision to extend the Chennai-Madurai tri-weekly express up to Bodi from February 19 was postponed for two weeks due to maintenance works at Madurai junction.
Chennai divisional railway manager Ganesh said the division will add two rakes of 12-car trains in suburban sections in a few months. “We will also get 10 more 12-car rakes for 2023-24. All the nine-car rakes of suburban trains in Chennai-Arakkonam will be converted into 12 cars by September. This will reduce overcrowding in suburban and express trains running from Chennai Central during the evening hours,” he said.