CHENNAI: With the commissioner of railway safety approving train operations on the newly converted 23.5-km Peralam-Karaikal broad-gauge (BG) line recently, passengers are calling for a direct train service from Chennai to Velankanni via this route due to shorter distance compared to the current route through Tiruvarur.
Previously, the Chennai Egmore-Karaikal/Velankanni Kamban Express, operated until 2022, was discontinued following a decision of the railway board to phase out slip coaches. Slip coaches allowed a section of the train to be split and sent along a different route, while the rest continued along the main line.
Additionally, the train’s locomotive had to be reversed at Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam, adding about an hour to the journey for passengers heading to Velankanni. With the new BG line now operational, it’s possible to run direct trains from Chennai to Velankanni via Peralam, Karaikal, and Nagore, eliminating the need for a locomotive reversal at the two places. This route could also provide direct train service to Thirunallar, a Hindu pilgrimage town in Karaikal, from Chennai.
Velankanni, one of the state’s major tourist and pilgrimage centres, attracts visitors throughout the year. Particularly, from April to January, the Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Health in Velankanni draws lakhs of visitors from Chennai and other parts of TN.
Currently, passengers on the Tambaram-Karaikal Express disembark at Nagapattinam around 4 am and get into the Nagapattinam-Velankanni DEMU Express to reach their destination.
According to officials from the Tiruchy railway division, a proposal has been submitted to the railway board to reroute the existing Tambaram-Karaikal Kamban Express and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (Mumbai)-Karaikal Express trains via Peralam-Karaikal. “Once the railway board gives its approval, the trains may be rerouted,” an official confirmed.
S Johnson Rajkumar, a frequent traveller to Velankanni from Ayanavaram, making a pitch for it said, “The direct train to Velankanni has remained a distant dream. Passengers carrying heavy luggage have to rush from one platform to another to board the DEMU train at Nagapattinam in the early morning hours.”
A Giri, former member of the Divisional Rail Users Consultative Committee for Tiruchy, said, “The diversion of the Kamban Express via Peralam to Velankanni will skip the stoppage at Tiruvarur. The daily Mannai Express and the new Pamban Express, both of which pass through Tiruvarur, could meet the local demand.
Therefore, the diversion of the Kamban Express may not have a significant impact on other passengers.” The BG version of the Kamban Express was introduced in 2010, running from Chennai Egmore to Karaikal. In July 2013, slip coaches for Velankanni were added, allowing five coaches to be detached at Nagapattinam and sent to Velankanni, while the rest of the train continued to Karaikal. However, this service was discontinued in 2022 following the railway board’s decision to end link express trains.