TENKASI: Seeking the restoration of direct train services on the Tirunelveli-Pavoorchatram-Tenkasi-Kollam route, posters were put up across Pavoorchatram and neighbouring villages in protest against the Southern Railways and Tenkasi MP Rani Srikumar on Sunday.
The posters, put up by railway activists and locals, highlighted their frustration over the prolonged delay in resuming daily passenger trains on this route.
According to the protesters, the Tirunelveli-Kollam line, operational since 1904, had direct passenger trains through Pavoorchatram for over a century before they were suspended for gauge conversion works.
"Three pairs of passenger trains were in service from Tirunelveli to Kollam before the gauge conversion. The services between Punalur and Kollam were stopped in 2006, and the gauge conversion was completed by 2010. Similarly, services on the Tirunelveli-Sengottai section were suspended in 2008 and resumed in 2012 post-conversion.
However, despite completing gauge conversion along the entire Tirunelveli-Kollam route in 2018, the Southern Railways has not shown any interest in resuming operations of daytime passenger trains. Even after six years since the gauge conversion, our repeated demands for restoring passenger trains on this route have been ignored," said R Pandiaraja, a railway activist from Pavoorchatram.
Another activist from Thippanampatti, T Velmurugan, added that the residents have been urging authorities, including the Tenkasi MP, to take steps to resume the train services.
"As no steps were taken, we are planning a massive protest in the first week of January, mobilising thousands of residents. We hope for positive action by then," he added.
When contacted by TNIE, MP Rani Srikumar said the residents had not brought this issue to her notice. "I have spoken with the divisional railway manager, Madurai, and requested him to resume the train services on the Tirunelveli-Kollam route," she added.