INDIAN RAILWAYS – NEEDS & SUGGESTIONS

New Line Survey

The following new line survey may be conducted in Southern Railway:Karaikal to Mayiladuthurai via Thirunallar

A branch line [off Chennai Beach – Velacherry - St. Thomas Mount MRTS] ex-Velacherry or Thiruvanmiyur to Puducherry via Kelambakkam and Mahaballipuram.

New Projects / Survey (Laying of New / Bye-Pass Lines)The on-going bye-pass line work at Ponmalai (Golden Rock) in Tiruchirapalli Division of Southern Railway may be speeded up in order to run coal-loaded / goods / freight / passenger / express trains from Thanjavur side towards Virudhachalam side. To provide an alternate route from Chennai to Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Thiruvanthapuram and Mumbai sides, a bye-pass line near Chengalpattu in Southern Railway, connecting Paranur and Palur railways stations, may be laid. This will also enable running of circular trains (EMUs) from Chennai to Chennai via Kancheepuram and Arakkonam as soon as the Thirumalpur – Arakkonam electrification project is completed. The erstwhile bye-pass line at Gudur on the border of Southern Railway and South Central Railway, which was removed to construct a rail over bridge, may be restored / reconstructed to enable running of trains (including circular (EMUs, fast-passengers, express trains, Suvidha (Shatabdi type) Expresses) from Chennai to Tirupathi via Srikalahasti and Renigunta avoiding change of engine / direction, etc. The new new / bye-pass line project connecting Morappur and Dharmapuri on the Southern Railway may be speeded up. Amongst other things, this will facilitate running a direct train from Chennai to Dharmapuri (the only district, other than Krishnagiri (no rail head) and Theni (due to gauge conversion work) districts, in Tamil Nadu, which is at present not connected by a direct train from its State's Capital Viz. Chennai. If possible, the Kumidpur railway station on the border of the North Eastern (NE) Railway and North East Frontier Railway (NFR) may be developed into a multi-model railway junction by modifying the two / existing Bye Pass Lines in such a way that easy change over from and to Katihar, Malda Town and Barsoi sides could be made feasible at the Junction. If possible, the Bye-Pass line from Chandrapur side to Wardha Jn side may be modified in such a way that all passenger trains, except the Rajdhani and Duronto Expresses, could be routed via Wardha Jn and Sevagraam both ways. If this is not possible, all the trains, except the Rajdhani and Duronto Expresses, coming from the east, west, north and south and passing through Sewagram may be provided a two minute stoppage at Sewagram for change over of trains, etc, notwithstanding the fact that Wardha Jn and Sevagram, on the Nagpur-Ballharshah / Wardha Jn. Sections, are nearby stations. DMU shuttle services between Wardha Jn and Sewagram could also be planned. Meanwhile, a new line Survey to lay a BG line connecting the Gandhi Ashram near Sewagram to the Sewagram Railway Station could be made.

New Projects / Survey / Construction of Railway StationsNotwithstanding the fact that the branch line laid between Villivakkam-Padi- Anna Nagar in Chennai was abandoned during 2007-08 for construction of the Padi flyover, poor patronage, etc, a suburban railway station with due accessibility may be constructed between

Villivakkam and Korattur (beneath the Rail Over Bridge / Inner Ring Road) on the Chennai Central – Arakkonam rail route, thereby making / developing this as a multi-modal transit point by

utilizing the existing infrastructure there. Services on the Villivakkam-Padi-Anna Nagar could also be restarted owing to the manifold growth in population and residential localities in these areas over the past decade. This will also help the Chennai Metro users in and around Anna Nagar to a great extent.A new halt station (island platform) named Thuvakudi may be constructed between Thondamanpatti and Tiruverumbur on the Thanjavur-Tiruchchirapalli Section in Southern Railway.

DoublingDoubling of all the routes connecting Allahabad and Varanasi may be carried out at the earliest. Doubling of the Chengalpattu-Arakkonam stretch in Southern Railway could be taken up to run Circular trains from Chennai to Chennai in due course.

ElectrificationDoubling of all the routes connecting Allahabad and Varanasi may be carried out at the earliest. The Bengaluru East-Salem stretch in South-Western Railway may be electrified at the earliest. The Thirumalpur-Arakkonam modified electrification project via Takkolam and the realigned

route to Arakkonam thereof may be speeded up in order to run circular EMUs from Chennai to Chennai. In this connection, electrification of the loop line connecting the re-aligned stretch

with the trunk route towards and from Katpadi, Mumbai and Chennai sides may be taken care.

Coach ManufacturingMore number of AC 3 Tier coaches may be manufactured to run exclusive trains having only AC 3 Tier accommodation. Considering the huge patronage for Double-Decker AC coaches / trains, Indian Railways could consider manufacturing II Class Double-Decker Coaches. As in the past, the luggage rack in all the conventional rakes of passenger / express trains may be positioned at a lower level.

New Trains:1. As a tribute to our late President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Indian Railways may consider

running the following three pairs of weekly super fast express trains: (1) Rameswaram - Hazrat Nizammudin - Rameswaram weekly express via Chennai

Egmore, Tiruchchirapalli Jn. The route signifies this Common Man's journey from a small fisherman village in Rameswaram to the Rashtrapathi Bhavan at New Delhi. Incidentally, Tiruchchi is

the city where he did his College studies (St. Joseph's College) and Chennai is where he completed his Aeronautical Engineering (Madras Institute of Technology, Chrompet, Chennai).

(b) Jaisalmer-Rameswaram-Jaisalmer weekly express via Pokhran, Jodhpur, Vasai Road, etc.This route signifies this Missile Man's successful nuclear test at Pokhran and his stint with ISRO, RBI, etc.OrA portion of the weekly express running between Bhagat-ki-Koti – Mannargudi – Bhagat-ki-koti may be extended on both the directions to Jaisalmer and Rameswaram (ex- Bhagat-ki-kti and Needamangalam, respectively).OrThe weekly Jaipur – Madurai – Jaipur (Suvidha-Premium) Express may be extended on eitherof the directions to Jaisalmer and Rameswaram, respectively. Further, to increase its patronage,

the train may be routed via Chennai Egmore and Tiruchchirapalli.� 3) Guwahati-Rameswaram-Guwahati weekly express via Howrah, Balasore (near Chandipur

on Sea and Wheelers' Islands (recently named after the late Dr. A.P. J. Abdul Kalam bythe Odisha State Government), Cuttack, Buwaneswar. The route is dedicated to this great teacher who breathed his last at Shillong.

Note: The above mentioned trains may be named as Nav Bharat Expresses.

The other option will be run a new set / series of weekly / daily super fast express trains named NavBharat Expresses or Nav Sakthi Expresses between important cities / state capitals either as longdistance or overnight or day time expresses or non-stop day services, having both AC and non-AC coaches.

Another option will be run a new set / series of weekly / daily super fast trains either on the above mentioned pattern connecting important cities / state capitals or on the Rajya Rani pattern connecting important cities / towns within a State not necessarily the State capitals. The train may be named either as Pride of Assam, Pride of Arunachal, Pride of Andhra, Pride of Goa, Pride of Himachal, Prideof Punjab and so on in English (the name of the State mentioned as suffix to Pride of) and Assam Gaurav Express, Arunachal Gaurav Express, Uttrakhand Gaurav Express and so on in Hindi(with the name of the State prefixed to Gaurav) or just Gaurav Expresses.

Indian Railways has been running special exhibition trains to honour great personalities and on specific subjects. In this connection, Indian Railways, in order to honour our late President Dr.A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, may consider running one such Exhibition Train criss-crossing thelength and breadth of our country on the lines of Science Bio-Diversity Express, Mother Express (to commemorate the birth centenary of Mother Teresa), Sanskriti Express, (as a tribute to Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore on his birth centenary), Vivekananda Express (to mark the birth centenary of Swami Vivekananda), Commonwealth Games Express, Red Ribbon Express, etc.As part of the on-going 'Clean India' Campaign / Mission / Abhiyan, an Exhibition Trainnamed 'Swachch Bharat Express' could crisscross the length and breadth of our country at the earliest.

“Exhibition Trains showcasing Indian History” could be thought of.Once again, an “Exhibition Train showcasing India's Freedom Movement” could be thought of.A “Kisan Exhibition Train” could be immediately run by the Indian Railways jointly with Ministry of Agriculture.An “Exhibition Train on Indian Industries may be run by big industries, including the Nav Ratna and mini-Nav Ratna companies, jointly with chamber of industries, bringing therein a huge income to the Indian Railways.

Indian Railways may permit Corporates / IT Companies / Services Sector to run an“Exhibition on Wheels” independently or jointly with other companies / chambers. This will bring in a great amount of revenue to the Indian Railways.

A similar “Exhibition Train on Aviation Industry” could also be planned.An “Exhibition on Power Sector (both Renewable and Non-Renewable Energy)” may be on the same lines.An “Exhibition Train to mark the Swarna Jayanthi of Rajbhasha” could crisscross the length and breadth of our country. The other option will be to run a weekly train named Swarna Rajbhasha Express to mark the occasion (September 14, 2015) between Bhopal

(where the World Hindi Conference has been recently held this year) and New Delhi. The other option will be run the train connecting the capitals of a few Category 'A' States as declared by the Official Language Implementation Committee's (Rajbhasha) Act Viz. Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), New Delhi / Delhi (National Capital Territory), Raipur (Chattisgarh), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Jaipur (Rajasthan), Dehradun (Uttrakhand), etc.An “Exhibition Train on Yoga” could crisscross the length and breadth of our country in June 2016.An “Exhibition Train showcasing the Jhan Dhan Yojna” on Financial Literacy and Financial Education / Awareness may be run jointly by Government of India and Reserve Bank of India.

An “Exhibition Train on Right to Education” may be run.An “Exhibition Train on Environment Awareness'”may be run from June 5, 2016 onwards. To enthuse the youth to join the Indian Armed Forces, an “Exhibition Train to showcase ourMilitary Strength and Defence Capability” on the completion of 50 years of India's Victoryin the 1965 Indo-Pak War could be thought of.An “Exhibition Train showcasing therein Incredible India's Tourist destinations' may be run.An “Exhibition Train showcasing therein the World Heritage Sites in India, as declared by the UNESCO, could be thought of.Similarly, as in the past, Exhibition Trains on Indian Sports, 100 years of Indian Cinema,Women Empowerment, Health, Youth Specials, etc” could be run by the Indian Railwayswith the co-ordination of the respective Ministries concerned.An “Exhibition Train showcasing therein the life and works of Indian Nobel Laureates” could be thought of.An “Exhibition Train showcasing therein the life and works of Bharat Ratnas” could be thought of.A new weekly train named Swarna Kamal Express (Golden Lotus in English and Porthamarai in Tamil) connecting Amritsar and Maduari may be introduced via Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Ambala Cantt., and Karnal. (Amritsar known for the Golden Temple and Meenakshi Temple at Maduari having the symbolic lotus flower in its pond).A new weekly train named Neel Kamal Express connecting Jodhpur and Maduari may be introduced. The other option will be to originate the weekly 22971/22972 Jaipur – Madurai (Peak season Suvidha-erstwhile Premium) Express ex-Jodhpur instead of Jaipur and convert the train as a regular super-fast express and name it as Neelkamal Express to increase patronage, Jodhpur being called as the Blue City and the Meenakshi Temple at Maduari having the symbolic lotus flower in its pond.A new weekly train named Danuskodi Express between Shri Mata Vaishnu Devi Katra / Udhampur / Jammu Tawi – Rameswaram – Jammu Tawi / Udhampur / Katra Mata Vaishnav Devi connecting one of the northern and southern most railway stations in the Indian Railways may be introduced.A new weekly express between Dibrugarh – Okha – Dibrugarh connecting one of the eastern most and the western most railway stations of the Indian Railways may be introduced, making this train as one of the the longest running trains in Indian Railways, in terms of distancedtraveled and time.A weekly train named either as Udayagiri or Arunoday Express may be introduced between New Jalpaiguri (Gateway for Darjeeling's Tiger Hill Sun Rise) and Kanniyakumari (Amongst other things, known for its Sun Rise) via Bubaneswar (Known for the twin hills of Udayagiri and Kandagiri).

A fully air-conditioned service (preferably a daily express throughout the year or at least on

the Suvidha pattern during peak/summer/winter seasons) having no stops en-route on the linesof a Shatabdi Express or Bharat Darshan or State Tirth Yatra Train or Hindu Circuit Train or Charter Train (spiritual tour with all inclusive package - confirmed rail reservation, transportation by deluxe coaches to Tirumala and Tiruchanur, darshan, meals, tour guide, etc) between Chennai-Tirupathi-Chennai may be introduced. Of course, the train will halt at Renigunta for change of loco.A daily / tri-weekly overnight express / fast-passenger named Neelaadhri Express / Fast-Passenger with at least three coaches of II Sleeper accommodation and two coaches of AC 3Tier may be introduced between Chengapattu / Tambaram* and Tirupathi via Chennai Egmore, Gudur, Srikalahasti and Renigunta.Even though the 56262 SBC-Arakonam and the 56010 Vellore Cantt-Araokanam passes through Katpadi between 1530 hrs and 1700 hrs, a need for a daily express train between Katpadi and Chennai preferably at 1615 hrs has become necessary. Therefore, a return service daily express train named Magendragiri Express may be run between Chennai Egmore* and Tirupathi / Tirupattur / Jolarpet / Katpadi via Kancheepuram in such a way that this train leaves Katpadi at 1615 hrs towards Chennai side.A portion of the 16861/16862 Puducherry-Kanniyakumari-Puducherry weekly express could run between Puducherry-Rameswaram-Puducherry as Pamban Link Express. In order to increase the patronage, the 16861/16862 PDY-CAPE-PDY Expresses could either have a delayed start of at least 2-3 hours or be routed via Madurai and still reach its respective destinations as per the existing timings.

A feasibility study could be taken up to run a weekly prestigious Rajdhani Express namedSwarna Kamal Rajdhani Express or Anandha Rajdhani or Ananthasayana Rajdhani fromAnand Vihar Terminal / NDLS / NZM to Thiruvanthapuram via Bhopal (capital of Madhya Pradesh), Vijayawada (near Mangalagiri - the Andhra Pradesh's capital in the making) and Chennai (capital of Tamil Nadu), Madurai and Nagarcoil.Meanwhile, a weekly super fast express named Sus-Swagatham Express or VandhanamExpress between NDLS / NZM and TVM, on the aforesaid route or via BPL, BZA, GDR, RU,Melpakkam Bye Pass, KPD, SA, KRR, DGL, MDU, VPT, TEN and NCJ route may be introduced.A day time (one way full day run from 0600 hrs to 2200 hrs) super fast express (daily service) in the form of a Jansadharan Express model having only II class sitting / sleeper accommodation may be run connecting intermediate stations of major/metro routes Viz. (i) Manmad-Bilaspur-Manmad (ii) Kharagpur-Bilaspur-Kharagpur (iii)Manmad-Jabalpur-Manmad (iii) Asonsol-Jabalpur-Asonsol (iv) Ambala Cantt-Mugalsarai-Ambala (v) Nizamuddin-Itarsi-Nizamuddin (vi) Katihar-Guwahati-Katihar (vii) Dibrugarh-Guwahati-Diburugarh (viii) Mathura-Vadodara-Mathura (ix) Kharagpur-Visakhapatnam-Kharagpur and so on.A new super-fast train (daily service) between Chennai Egmore and Nagercoil named NanjilNaadu Express may be introduced. (Onward: Chennai Egmore Dep: 1850 hrs or 2105 hrs). Ifthe proposal is accepted, the existing 12667 / 12668 Chennai Egmore-Nagarcoil-Chennai Egmore weekly Express being run utilizing the idling rake of 16126 Jodhpur-Chennai Egmore Express at Egmore may be utilized either to increase the frequency of 16181/16182 Chennai Egmore-Manamadurai-Chennai Egmore Silambu Express maintaining the same coach formation, including number of coaches, etc. The other option will be to run a weekly super –fast overnight train between Chennai Egmore and Sengottai via Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli, Kallidaikuruchi and Ambasamudram named as Tamirabarani or Five Falls Express orKutralam Express or Saaral Express or Ambai Express or Agasthiyar Express by using the said withdrawn rake (ex-MS: Thursday Dep: Between 1830 hrs and 1900 hrs) (ex-Sengottai:

Dep: Fridays).Similarly, a daily overnight super fast express named Aaryankaavu Express or ThenmazhaExpress may be introduced between Chennai Egmore and Kollam via Sengottai and Punalur,once the gauge conversion between Punalur and Kollam is completed. Till that time, the train could run up to Sengottai.A super-fast day express (daily service) named Dakshin Rani (Southern Queen in Englishand Thennaga Rani in Tamil) be introduced between Chennai Egmore* and Dindigul Jn.(Onward: Chennai Egmore Dep: 0600 hrs Dindigul Arr: 1315 hrs) (Return: Dindigul Dep: 1415 hrs Chennai Arrival: 2145 hrs).In fact, it will be better if a Shatabdi Express (daily or six days service throughout the year or on the lines of a Suvidha train - Shatabdi pattern – during peak / summer / winter / festival seasons) is introduced either between Chennai Egmore* and Madurai via Tiruchchirapalli Jn or between Chennai Egmore* and Dindigul via Tiruchchirapalli Jn as per the timings indicated above.The other option will be to run this fully air conditioned (AC) Express from the Madurai end Viz. Onward: MDU: Dep: 0600 hrs MS: Arr: 1310 hrs Return: MS: Dep: 1410 hrs MDU: Arr:2150 hrs.Another option will be to run a weekly / bi-weekly Duronto / AC Express between ChennaiEgmore and Tirunelveli via Tiruchchirapalli, Manamadurai and Virudhunagar (OnwardTimings: Chennai: Dep: 1740 hrs or 1850 hrs or 2105 hrs). (Operational timings at Tiruchchirapalli Jn 2300 hrs or 0050 hrs or 0300 hrs).A better option will be to run the bi-weekly 22205/22206 Chennai Central-Madurai-Chennai Central Duronto Express via Chennai Egmore and chord line (Onward Journey: Chennai Egmore: Dep: 2105 hrs Madurai: Arr: 0525 hrs) to increase the patronage. The rake will be brought empty from Chennai Central Yard to Chennai Egmore and vice versa.The other option will be to convert this bi-weekly Duronto Express into a bi-weekly ACExpress and route it through Chennai Egmore as aforesaid with stoppages at Tambaram,Tiruchchirapalli Jn and Dindigul. (Onward Journey:Chennai Egmore: Dep: 2105 hrs TPJ: Dep 0305 hrs DGL: Dep: 0420 hrs MDU: Arr: 0525 hrs).The above options will, to a great extent, full-fill the need for a fully air-conditioned service on the highly patronized Chennai Egmore-Nagarcoil route.A weekly Yuva Express between Chennai Egmore-Madurai-Chennai Egmore may be run immediately.By using the idling rake of 12612 NZM-MAS weekly Garib Express at MAS from 20.20 hrs on Tuesdays to 0610 hrs on Saturdays, a weekly Garib Rath Express may be run between MAS / MS and TEN. The other option will be extend this train on both sides to Amritsar and Thiruvanthapuram, respectively.A weekly Jansadharan Express between MS and VPT may be run in lieu of the Janatha Express which ran between MS and VPT via the Main Line prior to gauge cnversion of this Section.A week-end Yuva Express connecting Chennai and Bengaluru / Yeswantpur either via Tambaram, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Arakkonam, Katpadi, Jolarpet and Bangarpet / Salem / Hosur or by the direct route may be introduced to cater to the youth / IT personnel who travel between these places.The other option will be to run a week-end overnight Fast-Passenger connecting Chennai and Bengaluru / Yeswantpur through the above cited route.Another option will be to run a daily Fast-Passenger Link between Chennai / Arakkonam / Tiruthani-Bengaluru-Chennai / Arakkonam / Tiruthani by merging with Tirupathi-

Chamrajanagar-Tirupathi Fast Passenger either at Katpadi or elsewhere.On the lines of Deccan Queen, Gujarat Queen, Himalayan Queen, Flying Rani, etc., a weekly express named Queen of Arabian Sea may be run between Kanniyakumari and Okha or short of distance via Thiruvanthapuram and Konkan route.

An inter-city super-fast express named Cawanpur Express could be introduced betweenJhansi and Allahabad via Kanpur.A weekly super-fast train between Jhansi and Tezpur or Jhansi and Murkongselek in the North-East via Kanpur, Rangiya, Rangapara may be introduced to cater to defence personnel in particular.

On the lines of Arunachal Express, trains named as Seven Sisters Express, Mizo / MizoramExpress, Meghdoot Express, Meghalaya Express, Tiripura Express, Manipur Express, etc may be run from and to the North-Eastern States.Similarly, seven colour Indradhanush Expresses (other than the colour splash / pattern depicted on Duronto rakes) connecting cities / towns in western India with cities / towns in eastern India may be introduced in a semi-circular pattern. One such train could run from Jaisalmer to Gorakhpur via Lalgarh, Suratgarh, Hanumangarh, Bathinda, Ambala, Saharanpur and Lucknow.A super-fast train named Golden Triangle Express connecting New Delhi/DLI/NZM- AgraFort/Idgah/Agra Cantt – Jaipur-NZM/DLI/New Delhi via Tundla may be introduced.A weekly train named Orange City Express may be introduced between Chennai and Nagpur. In fact, a better option will be run a set of weekly Orange City Expresses, whereby trains from the east, west, north and south will converge / leave Nagpur around the same time to enable passengers to change trains and continue their journey on to the other direction.

Similarly, a weekly super-fast train named Bharat Hridhaya (Heart of India) Express orHridhaya Express or Hridhaya (Rajya Rani) Express may be introduced between Indore /Bhopal and Jabalpur. The other option will be run a set of Bharat Hridhaya Expresses / Heart of India Expresses, whereby a set of trains from the east, west, north and south will converge / leave Itarsi around the same time to enable passengers to change trains and continue their journey on to the other direction.On the lines of the Garib Nawaz Expresses, Sikh Takhts Expresses and Sri Sakthi Expresses, a set of Sakthi Peetam Expresses or Nav Sakthi Expresses could be introduced.Similarly, a set of trains (preferably daily services) Jamma Masjid Expresses or MasjidExpresses or Idgah Express may be introduced between (i)NZM and Lucknow, (ii)NZM andAjmer. (iii)NZM and Agra Fort via Aligarh and Idgah (iv) Agra Fort and Lucknow (v) NZM and Aurangabad (vi) NZM and Hyderabad (vii) NZM and Nagore (near Nagapattinam on the Southern Railway) (viii) Mumbai and Ajmer, etc.Also a weekly train named Basilica Express may be introduced between Puducherry and Vasco (via Madgaon), with a Link Express named Santhome Express or Cathedral Express running between Chennai Egmore-Vasco-Chennai Egmore via Tambaram with merger at Villupuram.Besides, a weekly train named Sri Rama / Sri Krishna Express connecting Dwaraka / Okha and Ayodhya via Mathura may be introduced.Notwithstanding the fact that the Ahmedabad-Varanasi Sabarmathi Express connects Bhopal with Varanasi, a weekly train named Sthupa Express between Bhopal - Varanasi / Sarnath -Bhopal via Jhansi may be introduced with stoppages at Vidhisha (known for the Sanchi Pillar) and Saranath near Varanasi (known for the Ashoka Pillar).Apart from the Mahaparinirvan Express (Buddhist Circuit Tourist Train), which connects the Buddhist Centres of Gaya, Sarnath, Rajgir, Gorakhpur, etc, a train named Nalanda Express orthe Buddha Poornima Express could be run / re-run connecting a fe of the above said places.

A weekly train named Navsari Express / Ratnagiri Express / Navsari-Ratnagiri Expressmay be run between Ratnagiri on the Konkan Railway to the nearest / convenient rail head to Navsari on the Western Railway, thereby connecting these Mango centres of Maharashtra and Gujarat, respectively.

Similarly, a weekly train between other mango centres (i) Malda Town and Ratnagiri and (ii)Malda Town and Salem may be run.A weekly train named Kadakavatsala Express between Dehradun and Pune, thereby connecting the Indian Defence Academy and National Defence Academy, may be run.On the lines of Ispat / Steel Expresses, a set of such trains may be run between places which are having big steel plants such as Tata Nagar, Durgapur, Bhilai, Rourkela, Salem, etc.A weekly express named Nisagardhama Express between Chennai - Mangalore or Chennai -Subramanya Road or Chennai -Sakleshpur may be introduced via Bengaluru, Arsikere and Hassan or via Bengaluru, Mysore and Hassan.A weekly express named Thoranam Express between Mumbai and Chennai via Nasik, Manmad, Balharshah, Warangal and Vijayawada, may be introduced. (The other option will be to extend the proposed weekly Mumbai – Kazipet Express to and from Chennai).A new train (daily service) named Nandi Express connecting Mysore and Thanjavur via Bengaluru could be introduced to reduce the heavy demand in Mysore-Mayiladuthurai Express. (The three places mentioned are known for the Nandi Statutes, Nandi Hills, etc).By using the idling rake of 22651 Chennai Central-Palani Express at Palani, a new train named Thayumanavar Express (daily express on the model of an immediate return service) betweenPalani-Tiruchchirapalli-Palani via DGL may be introduced. The train will provide a connection to the 16234 / 16233 Tiruchchirapalli-Mayiladuthurai Express at Tiruchchirapalli. In due course, when the 22651/22652 Chennai Central-Palani Express is extended up to Pollachi, the proposed train could run between Pollachi-Tiruchchirapalli-Pollachi.Similarly, by using the idling rake of 22652 Palani-Chennai Central Express at Chennai Central, a new train (Rajya-Rani Express) (daily immediate return service) from Chennai Central to Salem may be introduced via Katpadi. (Onward Journey: MAS: Dep: 0815 hrs KPD: Dep: 1015 hrs JTJ Dep: 1115 hrs and SA: Arr: 1245 hrs) (Return Journey: SA: Dep 1330 hrs JTJ: Dep: 1500 hrs KPD: Dep: 1600 hrs MAS Arr: 1815 hrs)A day time express (immediate return service) between Chennai Egmore* and Salem named Mango City Express with stoppages at Tambaram, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Arakonam,Solingar, Walaja Road, Katpadi, Gudiyatham, Ambur, Vaniyambadi, Jolarpet Jn, Thirupattur and Morappur may be introduced.A direct train (at least a weekly service) from Chennai Egmore* to Dharmapuri or Hosur or Bengaluru named Hoganekkal Express may be introduced either via Chengalpattu, Katpadi and Salem or via Virudhachalam and Salem or via Villupuram, Thiruvannamalai, Katpadi and Salem.A day time express (immediate return service) between Chennai and Erode named BhavaniExpress may be introduced.By using the idling rake of 11017 LTT-Karaikal weekly express at Karaikal [lie-over period from 1845 hrs on Sunday to 1400 hrs on the next day (Monday)], a weekly Express between Karaikal and Erode or Salem via Nagore (for the benefit of Nagore Dargah pilgrims), Nagapattinam (for the benefit of Vellankanni Church pilgrims / passengers), Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Tiruchchirapalli, Karur and Erode / Namakkal may be introduced. (Onward Journey Karaikal Dep: 2115 hrs, Nagore Dep: 2130 hrs, Nagapattinam: Dep: 2155 hrs, Tiruvarur Dep: 2240 hrs, Thanjavur Dep: 2345 hrs, Tiruchchirapalli Jn Dep: 0155 hrs, Karur Dep: 0320 hrs and Erode / Salem Arr: 0500 hrs) (Return Journey: Salem / Erode: Dep: 0600 hrs Karaikal Arr: 1300

hrs with the same stoppages on the corresponding direction).The other option will be to run a Karaikal-Mayiladuthurai-Karaikal weekly express named Navagraha Express via Tiruvarur, Thanjavur and Kumbakonam covering most of the nineNavagraha temples by using the said idling rake. [Onward Journey: I Option: Karaikal Dep: 1945 hrs (Sundays) MV Arr: 2340 hrs (Sundays) II Option: Karaikal Dep: 0415 hrs (Mondays) MV Arr: 0825 hrs (Mondays)] [Return Journey: MV Dep: 0845 hrs (Mondays) Karaikal Arr: 1250 hrs (Mondays)].One more option will be to, by using the idling rake, run a Karaikal-Tiruchchirapalli-Karaikal weekly express named Delta Express or Delta Queen via Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur and Thanjavur covering the composite delta districts of Tamil Nadu. [Onward Journey: Option I: Karaikal Dep: 1945 hrs (Sundays) TPJ Arr: 2255 hrs (Sundays) Option II: Karaikal Dep: 2115 hrs (Sunday) TPJ Arr: 0030 hrs (Monday) Option III: Karaikal Dep: 0400 hrs (Mondays) TPJ Arr: 0710 hrs (Mondays)] [Return Journey: Option I: TPJ Dep: 2350 hrs Karaikal Arr: 0335 hrs Option II: TPJ Dep: 0820 hrs (Mondays) Karaikal Arr: 1210 hrs (Mondays)].Similarly, by using the idling rake of the 16863 Bhagat-ki-kothi – Mannargudi weekly express at Mannargudi from 1800 hrs on Saturdays to 1130 hrs on Mondays, a weekly overnight express between Mannargudi-SBC/YPR-Mannargudi could be introduced via Thanjavur, Tiruchchirapalli, Karur, Namakkal and Salem. However, a better option will be to shunt the rake of 16863 Bhagat-ki-kothi-Mannargudi Express, which arrives at Mannargudi on Saturdays at 1800 hrs up to Nagapattinam via Tiruvarur as Mannargudi-Nagapattinam Weekly Express / Fast-Passenger and thereafter run a full-fledged Nagapattinam-Bengaluru/Yesvantpur-Nagapattinam weekly Express in the above cited route. (Nagapattinam: Dep: 2155 hrs onSaturdays and reach SBC / YPR on Sundays at 10.30 hrs). On the return direction, the train can leave SBC / YPR somewhere around noon on Sundays and reach Nagapattinam on the early morning of Monday. Immediately, the rake may be shunted to Mannargudi as Nagapattinam-Mannagudi weekly express / fast passenger for its onward run to Bhagat-ki-kothi.If the idling rake of 16615 Mannargudi – Coimbatore Chemmozhi Express at Coimbatore from 0500 hrs to 0015 hrs has not been utilized so far, a day express (immediate return service) named Vishwarooba Express between Coimbatore-Guruvayur-Coimbatore may be introduced.By using the idling rakes of 16183/16184 Chennai Egmore-Thanjavur-Chennai Egmore Uzhavan Expresses at Thanjavur and Chennai Egmore, respectively, a day express (a daily criss-cross service with maintenance at the other end) named Brahadeeswarar Express may be run between Thanjavur-Chennai Egmore-Thanjavur, instead of running the 76826 / 76825 Thanjavur-Mayiladuthurai-Thanjavur passenger trains, after providing an in lieu passenger service for this train as per the existing timings.If the above option is not feasible, then an over night daily express named BrahadeewararExpress connecting Thanjavur and Chennai Egmore* via [Ponmalai (Golden Rock) Bye Pass],Tiruchchirapalli Town, Srirangam and Virudhachalam] could be introduced. (or) / andAn overnight weekly / week-end / daily train named Kudanthai or Maha Maham Express between Kumbakonam and Chennai Egmore via [Ponmalai (Golden Rock) Bye Pass), Tiruchchirapalli Town, Srirangam and Virudhachalam] in lieu of the Kumbakonam-Chennai Egmore-Kumbakonam Rock Fort Express Link, which was withdrawn consequent upon the introduction of 16183 / 16184 Chennai Egmore-Thanjavur-Chennai Egmore Uzhavan Express, could be introduced. (or)One more option will be to run the proposed trains as overnight Fast-Passenger with II class sleeper accommodation as Brahadeeswarar / Kudanthai / Maha Maham Fast Passengersbetween Kumbakonam / Thanjavur-Chennai Egmore*-Thanjavur / Kumbakonam (in lieu of the

erstwhile Sengottah-Chennai-Sengottai and Dindigul / Thanjavur - Chennai Egmore –Thanjavur / Dindigul Fast Passengers, which were withdrawn consequent upon the gauge conversion of this stretch).A day time express named Sri Ranga Express between Chennai Egmore* and Tiruchchirapalli Jn via Virudhachalam may be introduced. (Onward Journey MS: Dep: 0600 hrs TPJ: Arr: 1135 hrs) (Return Journey TPJ: Dep: 1235 hrs MS: Arr: 1900 hrs).The other option will be to run an overnight fast-passenger named Sri Ranga Fast Passenger(daily service) between Tiruchichirapalli Jn-Chennai Egmore*-Tiruchchirapalli Jn with II sleeper accommodation.By using the idling rakes of 16178 Rock Fort Express at Chennai Egmore from 0505 hrs to 2120 hrs, a day time express named Chennaipattinam Express could be run between Chennai Egmore* and Tiruchchirapalli via Virudhachalam or Thanjavur with the maintenance shifted to the other end. Similarly, the idling rake of 12638 Pandyan Express at Chennai Egmore, the idling rake of 12637 Pandyan Express at Madurai and the idling rake of 16177 Rock Fort Express at Tiruchchirapalli could be utilized to run trains as indicated above despite the fact that the Pandyan and Rock Fort Expresses are prestigious train and the rakes are used in combination to run these trains.A super fast day express, including II sleeper accommodation, (the complete run will be during day time) named Chord Line Super (in lieu of the Super Express which ran between Chennai Egmore and Quilon during the good olden days) may be introduced between Chennai Egmore* and Sengottai via VRI, TPJ, MDU and VPT (Onward Journey MS / TBM: Dep: 0600 hrs (Return Journey MS / TBM: Arr: 1900 hrs). The train could be extended to Kollam as and when the gauge conversion between Punalur and Kollam is completed.To cater to pilgrims, a train (at least a weekly service) named Pancha Bhoodham Expressconnecting Tiruchirapalli (Thiruvanaikoil Jambukeswarar Temple signifying Jal-Water), Chidambaram (Natarajar Temple signifying Aakash-Sky), Thiruvannamalai (Sri Arunachalaeswarar Temple signifying Agni-Fire), Kancheepuram (Temple signifying Dharthi-Land) and Srikalakasthi (signifying Vayu-Wind) Shiva Temples may be run with a bifurcation at Villupuram and again merger / amalgamation at Tiruthani. In the corresponding direction ie. Srikalahasti-Tiruchchirapalli, the bifurcation will take place at Tiruthani and once again an amalgamation at Villupuram. The Tiruchchirapalli portion could even be named asJambukeswarar Express.Since the Gauge Conversion between Palghat-Pollachi Town has been completed, new express trains (overnight trains or/and day time expresses) from (i)Palghat Town / Pollachi to Rameswaram, (ii)Palghat Town / Pollachi to Madurai, (iii) Palghat Town / Pollachi to Mayiladuthurai via Dindigul may be introduced. As and when, the Gauge Conversion between Coimbatore and Pollachi is completed, the station of origination / termination of the Pollachi trains could be shifted to Coimbatore.As an interim measure, either a day time train named Pazhamudhir Express or PazhamudhirSolai Express or Solai Express between Palghat Town and Madurai with a link Express namedSwamimalai Express to Mayiladuthurai may be introduced with merger at Dindigul Jn.A weekly express named Mangalagiri Express [other than the recently introduced 22701 / 22702 Visakhapattinam-Vijayawada – New Delhi Andhra Pradesh AC Express] may be introduced between Vijayawada and New Delhi / H. Nizamuddin.By using the idling rake of 17408 Mannargudi-Tirupathi tri-weekly express at Tirupathi (lie-over period from 1635 hrs to 1040 hrs on the next day), a tri-weekly express between Tirupathi and a nearby city like Chennai Central may be run.

By using the idling rake of 12797 Kacheguda-Chittoor Venkatadiri Express at Chittoor from

0855 hrs to 1730 hrs on the same day, a daily express (day time return service) between Chittoor and a nearby rail head / station / junction / town like Thiruvannamalai, Katpadi may be run.To cater mainly to the defence personnel and their families, a new weekly train connecting Firozpur Cantt in the South Western India with any of the Southern Regional state capitalsmay be introduced via Rohtak, Jind, Jhakal, with a Link Express to Sri Ganga Nagar (ex-Bhatinda) or a Link Express named Kurukshetra Express to Bhatinda via Karnal,Kurukshetra, Ambala and Patiala ex-New Delhi.A new weekly train named Sanjeevani / Sanjeevini Express between Bareilly and any of the Southern Regional state capitals via Rampur Jn, Moradabad, Raja-ka-Sahaspur\, Chandausi, Aligarh, Tundla, Agra may be introduced with a Link Express to Kathgodam via Lalkuan with merger at Rampur Jn.In this connection, it will be preferable to run separate independent trains Viz. Dehradun –Madurai – Dehradun Expresses and Chandigarh – Madurai – Chandigarh Express in place of the current bi-Weekly combined Dehradun / Chandigarh – Madurai Expresses as under:The weekly Dehradun – Madurai Express could continue to run in its present Saharanpur and Meerut route with the day of service being Thursdays instead of Fridays to avoid idling of rake at Dehradun, with fresh advanced timings (DDN Dep: 0550 hrs instead of 0645 hrs), thereby speeding up the train nearly by one hour since the train will be able leave NDLS / NZM at 1340 hrs instead of the present 1435 hrs thereby reaching Madurai at 11.45 hrs instead of 12.45 hrs on Saturdays. This will facilitate the speeding-up of the weekly Jammu Tawi – Mangalore / Tirunelveli Navyug Express by more than 4 hours between Agra Cantt. And Mangalore / Tirunelveli. In the reverse direction, the Madurai – Dehradun Express could continue to leave Madurai on Sundays. The weekly Chandigarh – Madurai – Chandigarh Express may leave Chandigarh on Sundays instead of Mondays to avoid idling of rake at Chandigarh as per the present timings Viz., CDG: Dep: 0750 hrs. However, the train could be speeded up nearly by an hour so that it leaves NDLS / NZM at 1340 hrs instead of the present 1435 hrs and reaches Madurai at 11.45 hrs instead of 12.45 hrs on Tuesdays. In fact, it will be better to run this train via Karnal. The Madurai – Chandigarh Express could continue to leave Madurai on Wednesdays. The other option will be to run the proposed Link Expresses with the suggested independent Dehradun-Madurai-Dehradun Expresses or Chandigarh-Madurai-Chandigarh Expresses with merger at Saharanpur or Meerut, as the case may be. In addition, a new weekly train named Pathanjali Muni Express or Yog Guru Express may be run between Rishikesh and Puducherry (both known for the International Yoga Festivals) via Haridwar with a Link Express coming and going to Ramnagar (ex-Moradabad) or Varanasi (ex-Itarsi). The other option will be run this train between Rishikesh and Varanasi as AayushExpress with a portion running between Ramnagar and Varanasi with merger at Moradabad.A weekly train named Garana Express may be introduced between Gwalior-Jaipur with a Link Express coming from Lucknow, the merger being at Bharatpur or Idgah or Agra Cantt. The other option will be run the Express between Gwalior-Jaipur/Lucknow-Gwalior, with one portion each going to and coming from Jaipur and Lucknow, respectively, the transfer Junction being Agra Cantt or Idgah.A Rajya-Rani Express (preferably a day time express) may be run from Lucknow to Lucknow via Allahabad and Kanpur in a Round Robin pattern, whereby / wherein bulk of passengers will disembark / embark the train at en-route stations / cities and the train will run full to its capacity.A Rajya Rani Express (daily service) in a round-robin pattern connecting Vijayawada-Tenali-Guntur-Vijayawada and vice-versa will be a boon to Mangalagiri, the upcoming capital of the

newly created State of Andhra Pradesh.Trains could be introduced in the name of Bhakra Dam Express or Govind Sagar

Express connecting Una with Jaipur via Nangal, Rajpura, Ambala, etc, along the IndiraGandhi Canal for irrigation, thereby covering Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, the states which are mainly benefited by the Bhakra Dam's water.

A new train named Saagarmaatha Express along the Nepal border Viz. New Jalpaiguri/Jogbani/Jayanagar/Gorakhpur and so on may be run.

Similarly, a new train named Hindu Kush Express or Sri Kailash Giri Express or Kailashgiri Express or Annapurna Express or Nanda Parbhat Express along the Himalayanrange could be thought of.

A weekly train named Rohtang-Nathula (Pass) Express between Una / Chandigarhand New Jalpaiguri may be introduced. The train may be extended to Manali as and when theBilaspur (Himachal Pradesh) – Manali new line is laid.

A weekly train named Jai Hind Border Express or Jai Hind Express or VandeMatharam Express or Jai Jawan Express etc from Bhuj to Jammu Tawi / Udhampur viaAhmedabad, Marwar, Jodhpur, Lalgarh, Suratgarh, Hanumangarh, Bhatinda, Firozpur, Jalandhar and Pathankot may be introduced along the Indo-Pak border as announced in the latest Railway Budget 2015-16.

On the lines of Garba Express, trains could be introduced in the name of Indian dance forms, such as, Kuchipudi Express, Manipuri Express, Mohini Express, Oddissi Express,Bhangra Express, Malvani Express, Bihu Nrutiya Express, etc.

A weekly train named Carnatic Express could be introduced in the South with Chennai as the Base.

A weekly train named Akshardham Express may be introduced between Ahmedabad and New Delhi.

Trains could be introduced in the name of Indian festivals and Melas / fairs such asBaisakhi Expresses, Bihu Expresses, Chaat Express, Tej Express, Pushkar Express, etc, inaddition to specials named after these festivals.

A train named Dassara Express may be introduced between Mysore and Chandigarh, signifying the Mysore Dassara and Kulu Dassara in Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh, respectively.

Trains named after rural / handicraft fairs / games, fabric, etc connecting Ropar in Punjab and Suratgunj in Haryana, Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh, etc may be introduced.

Trains could be introduced in the name of Travancore Express, Idukki Express, Silent Valley Express, Wayanad Express etc with Kerala as the Base.

Trains named as Kodagu Express, Thala Kaveri Express, Haringini Express,Hemavathy Express and Kabini Express could be introduced with Bengaluru / Mysore /Karnataka as Base.

A train named Dudhsagar Express could be introduced with Madgaon / Vasco (Goa) as the Base.

Trains could be introduced in the name of Valley of Flowers, with Uttrakhand as the Base.

In addition, trains named Swasthik Express, Jai Kisan Express, Kohinoor Express,Kailash-Mansorovar Express, Mount Kailash Express or Sri Kailashgiri Express, Mansorovar Express, Ganga Express, Mandhakini Express, Alaknandha Express, Aakaash Ganga Express, etc could be introduced from appropriate Base.

A set of new weekly trains named Sanskruti / Cultural Expresses or by an appropriate name connecting the Zonal Cultural Centres of India may be introduced as under: (i) Dimapur

(for the North-Eastern Zone) with Jaipur (for the Western Zone) via Allahabad (for the Central Zone) (ii) Dimapur with Thanjavur (for the Southern Zone) via Kolkatta / Howrah (for the Eastern Zone) (iii) Dimapur – Patiala (iv) Patiala-Jaipur (v) Kolkatta / Sealdah / Howrah –Patiala via Allahabad (vi) Kolkatta-Jaipur via Allahabad (vii) Patiala-Thanjavur via Jaipur (a bit circuitous) (vii) Allahabad-Thanjavur.

Trains named White Gold Express (Either connecting Anand in Gujarat with Sangli/Satara/Miraj or connecting Mumbai with Sangli/Satara/Miraj), Black Gold Express(connecting Mumbai with Sangli/Satara/Miraj) and Yellow Gold Express (connecting oil seed rich centres) may be introduced.

A new set of weekly Jothiling Expresses may be introduced connecting a few of the twelve Jyothiling temple pilgrim centres Viz. Varanasi, Somnath (Veeraval), Ujjain, Omkareswarar Road, Nasik, Parli Vaijnath, Rameswaram, Baidhyanath Dham, Srisailam (from a nearest rail head) etc. The other option will be to run at least one train named as Jothiling Express connecting two Jyothiling temple pilgrim centres.

On the same lines, trains named Triambakeswar Express, Mahakaleeswarar Express, Omkareswarar Express, Bhimashankar Express etc., connecting/crossing Ujjain, Indore,Omkareswarar Road, Nasik, Pune / Aurangabad / Parli Vaijnath,, etc may be introduced.

In the mean time, a train (at least a tri-weekly service) between Nasik/Pune-Indore/Ujjain-Pune/Nasik via Manmad and Khandwa (in due course via OmkareswararRoad and MHOW) may be introduced with one of the above suggested names.

A train named Srisailam Express may be introduced between Secunderabad / Kacheguda and Kurnool City / Guntakal via Mahbubnagar, Sriramnagar and Gadwal.

A weekly train named Maha Nandhi Express between Mysore and Vijayawada via Bengaluru / Yesvantpur, Gooty, Dhone Jn, Nandyal, Giddalur, Markapur, Donakonda, Narsaraopet and Guntur may be introduced.

A train named Ahobaliyam Express between Guntakal and Guntur / Vijayawada may be introduced via Dhone Jn, Nandyal, Giddalur, Markapur, Donakonda and Narsaraopet.

A set of Char Dham Expresses connecting Dwaraka on the west, Puri on the east, Haridwar on the north and Rameswaram on the south may be introduced.

Similarly, a weekly express named Adi Sankarar Expresses connecting Haridwar / Rishikesh (for Badrinath), Sringeri, etc could also be introduced.

The weekly Tiruchchirapalli Jn-Pune Express, which is being run as Summer and Winter Specials, could be regularized as a permanent service. The train may be named asAkilandeswari Express.

A weekly train named Vishalakshi Express or Meenakshi Express or KamakshiExpress could be run between Varanasi and Madurai via Gudur, Renigunta, Arakkonam,Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu or via Gudur, Chennai Central, Arakkonam (on the 2 km long new re-aligned track that is being laid between Arakkonam and Thakkolam), Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu.

A weekly / daily day train named Kanchi Express may be introduced between Chennai Egmore*-Kancheepuram-Chennai Egmore* via Chengalpattu or Chennai Central / Egmore* and Kancheepuram-Chennai Egmore* / Chennai Central via Arakkonam (on the 2 km long new re-aligned track that is being laid between Arakkonam and Thakkolam) in the form of an immediate return service.

A weekly day train named Thillai Express may be introduced between Chennai Egmore*-Chidambaram-Chennai Egmore* via Villupuram and Cuddalore Port in the form of an immediate return service.

A weekly day train named Vaitheeswaran Express may be introduced between Chennai

Egmore*-Mayiladuthurai-Chennai Egmore via Villupuram and Cuddalore in the form of an immediate return service.

A weekly day train named Virudhabureswarar Express may be introduced between Chennai Egmore*-Virudhachalam-Chennai Egmore* via Villupuram and Cuddalore Port in the form of an immediate retrun service.

A weekly day train named Week End or Lignite Express may be introduced between Chennai Egmore*-Neyveli-Chennai Egmore* via Villupuram and Cuddalore Port in the form of an immediate return service.

A weekly day train named Padaleswarar Express may be introduced between Chennai Egmore*-Cuddalore-Chennai Egmore* via Villupuram in the form of an immediate retrun service.

A weekly day train named Annamalai Express may be introduced between Chennai Egmore*-Thiruvannamalai via Villupuram in the form of an immediate return service.

Trains mentioned against Sl. No. 128 to Sl. No. 133 could be run by using a single rake. It will be preferable to run separate trains (preferably a daily super-fast service) Viz.

(i)Alappuzha-Dhanbad Express and (ii) Alappuzha-Tata Nagar Express with pantry cars attached to both these trains in place of the the present single 13351/13351Alappuzha –Dhanbad / Tata-Alappuzha Expresses.

It is preferable to run separate trains (daily service) Viz. (i)Chennai Egmore-Karaikal-Chennai Egmore Karaikal Express and (ii)Chennai Egmore-Velankanni-Chennai Egmore Velankanni Express instead of the existing combined 16185/16186 Chennai Egmore-Karaikal-Chennai Egmore Karaikal Expresses and the 16175/16176 Chennai Egmore-Velankanni-Chennai Egmore Velankanni Link Expresses ex-Nagapattinam.

The 17408 Mannargudi-Tirupathi tri-weekly day Express is not adequately patronized. In view of the above, the train may be withdrawn and the rake of the withdrawn train may be utilized to run a tri-weekly day express / fast-passenger named Poompuhar Express / Fast-Passenger between Mayiladuthurai and Madurai via Thanjavur and Tiruchchirapalli Jn. (Theother option will be to extend the Mayiladuthurai – Tiruchchirapalli-Mayiladuthurai Express up to Madurai and name the train as Poompuhar Express.

Amongst the many railway junctions in the Indian Railways, Vijayawada, Lucknow and Kanpur are known for a unique feature wherein a system has been created in such a way that a quite number of inter-city day express trains from different directions converge at the Junction between the 1200 hrs - 1400 hrs time slot and the passengers change trains to reach their respective destinations on the other directions. On an experimental basis, this system could be improvised and further extended at other important junctions (wherein trains converge from at least 3-4 different directions).

On the same lines, among the many railway junctions on the Indian Railways, Tiruchchirapalli is known for a unique feature wherein a system has been created in such a way that nearly five passenger trains arrive and leave at the Junction more or less around 0900 hrs and 1800 hrs, respectively, from and to each of the different directional routes present for the benefit of college students, workers, office goers and others. This system could be replicated at other junctions.

Places, such as, Haridwar, Allahabad, Nasik, Ujjain, Rajamundry, etc which are known for the Kumbh Mela may be connected with direct trains named Kumbh Expresses, in addition to the Kumbh Mela Specials, which are run during the actual Kumbh Mela / Ardh Kumbh Mela period.A weekly super fast train named Annapoorani Express could be run between Varanasi and a nearest rail head near Horanadu in Karnataka (Varanasi being famous for the Annapoorani idol and Horanadu famous for the Annapoorani Temple).

In addition, a set of trains named Rice-Bowl Expresses or Granary Expresses could be run between the following rice-bowls of Southern States and their respective State capitals:Alleppey (near Kuttanad area – rice bowl of Kerala) and Thiruvanthapuram (alternative name Kuttanad Express or Kuttanad Rice-Bowl Express – daily service).Thanjavur (rice bowl of Tamil Nadu) and Chennai (weekly / tri-weekly / daily service).Alternative name: Nelmani (meaning paddy) Express. The other option will be to run this Nelmani Express combined with the Mannargudi-Tirupathi-Mannargudi Tri-Weekly Pamani Express between Mayiladuthurai and Villupuram.

Raichur (rice bowl of Karnataka) and Bengaluru / Yesvantpur.Nellore (rice bowl of Andhra Pradesh) and Hyderabad via Vijayawada.

A weekly train named after a popular fabric Viz Malkha fabric (also known as 'freedom fabric' in English) weaved in the tiny village of Pulugurtha near Kakinada in the successor State of Andhra Pradesh may be run between Kakinada Port and Vijayawada as Malkha Express.

A weekly train named after Telangana's State bird Viz. Pala Pitta in Telugu, Neelkant in Hindi and Indian Roller in English may be run between Hyderabad and Mysore as NeelkanthExpress, signifying to the popular belief that the bird is sacred to Vishnu and hence sighting thebird during the Dassara festival is considered to be auspicious.

When the 12953/12954 NZM-BCT-NZM August Kranti Rajdhani Express was introduced, the train used to follow a popular timings pattern wherein the train will (both ways) leave in advance of the NDLS-Mumbai Central-NDLS Rajdhani Express, follow the same route and will stop in other than those stations (alternate stops) where the 12951/12952 NDLS-Mumbai Central-NDLS Rajdhani Express stops, thereby distributing the traffic between the destinations. The pattern of service, still continues to a great extent. On the same lines, in order to distribute the traffic, the system of running direct / diagonal / paired services, with minimum time lag between each set of trains, on the same / similar route to the same ornearby/short of destination, by skipping alternative important stations en-route (of course with certain common halts for operational reasons), could be experimented in respect of certain long distance super-fast trains like Coramandel Express, G.T. Express, Gitanjali Express, Him-Giri Express, Karnataka, Kerala Express, Navjeevan Express, North-East Express, Tamil Nadu Express, etc, which are highly patronized trains on account of their convenient / popular timings at the starting station, at the destination and at the en-route stations as well.

Similarly, a daily super fast express train between Bengaluru Cantonment-Palghat-Bengaluru Cantonment Express named Mallanpuzha Express via Coimbatore / Podanur may be introduced. The train can move in advance of the Bengaluru-Ernakulam-Bengaluru Inter-City Expresses both ways, thereby absorbing the heavy traffic on this stretch. In due course, this train may be originated / terminated at Bayyapanahalli as soon as terminal facilities are made available there.

To increase efficiency as well as to reduce congestion, a few short and long distance express trains could be originated / terminated from a nearby station in and around a major / metro / city / railway station / junction / terminus, which is having a suburban / Metro connectivity, instead of from the main rail head itself, Viz., (i) Ghaziabad, near Delhi, on the Uttar Pradesh border, which is well connected by suburban services including a ladies special (ii) Palwal near New Delhi, which is well connected by suburban services (iii) Panipat (connected by suburban services including ladies specials), Gurgaon (since the outskirts of Gurgaon is connected by Metro service) after converting the main station into a multi-model station and Faridabad (which was recently provided with a Metro connectivity to someextent) and on the Haryana border and of course Tuglakhabad, all very near to New Delhi(iv)By developing Kalyan / Igatpuri, Virar / Vasai Road and Panvel near Mumbai and Navi

Mumbai, respectively (v) Kharghpur, Burdwan, Bandel near Kolkatta (vi) Tambaram, Chengalpattu, Perambur, Tiruvallur, Arakonam and Ponneri near Chennai and (vii) Bayappanahalli near Bengaluru (viii) Lingampalli near Hyderabad and so on.On the lines of the Pune-Panvel-Nasik-Manmad-Pune circular express pattern service, a few more circular trains / expresses / services could be tried on an experimental basis in select routes, including two more services on the above route.

In this connection, a circular express pattern service between Vijayawada-Tenali-Guntur-Vijayawada express train will be a boon to Mangalagiri, the upcoming capital of the newly created state of Andhra Pradesh.

Similarly, a circular express pattern service from Chennai Central to Chennai Central via Renigunta and Gudur could be run.

Kindly refer to one more train request / suggestion, with many options, given at the end please.

Note:Wherever and whenever the idling rakes of trains (during the lie-over period), particularly overnight trains, having airconditioned accommodation are utilized to run short distance inter-city day expresses the train may be operated by switching off AC coaches, except in the case of high demand routes, to save cost in low revenue routes on an experimental basis. Once the patronage increases, the trains could be operated with AC coaches on. Idling rakes for more than 5-6 hrs in yard may be considered immediately for this purpose.

Extension of trains

1. True to its name, the Brindavan Express running between Chennai Central and Bengaluru City may be extended to and from Mysore by changing the timings of the Bengaluru City-Mysore Express or the Yeswantpur-Mysore Express.

2. The Tirunelveli-Tiruchchirapalli-Tirunelveli inter-city Express (daily service) could be easily extended to run between Tirunelveli and Thanjavur or Srirangam via Tiruchchirapalli Jn (both ways).

3. The Kanniyakumari-Howrah Weekly Express may be extended up to New Jalpaiguri and named as Arunoday or Udhayagiri Express. [Kanniyakumari (amongst other things, known for its Sun Rise) and New Jalpaiguri (Gateway for Darjeeling's Tiger Hill Sun Rise) viaBuwaneswar (Known for the twin hills of Udayagiri and Kandagiri).

4. The other option will be extend the Howrah-Tiruchchirapalli-Howrah bi-weekly expresses (at least on one day) up to New Jalpaiguri and Kanniyakumari, respectively, on either of the directions and name the train as Arunoday or Udyagiri Expresses.

5. If the proposal to run a daily train named Pazhamudhir Solai Express between Palghat Town and Madurai with a Link Express named Swamimalai Express to Mayiladuthurai ex-Dindigul is acceptable, then it will be ideal to advance the departure timings of the 12084 Coimbatore-Mayiladuthurai Jan Shatabdi Express at Coimbatore, without waiting for the passengers arriving by West-Coast Express from Palghat side, in order to extend the said Jan Shatabdi Expressup to Chidambaram both ways on the Mayiladuthurai side, since there is still scope for increasing the patronage.

Increase in frequency1. By rationalizing the weekly Chennai Central-Prasanthi Nilayam-Chennai Central Week-end

Express, the weekly Chennai Central-Yesvantpur-Chennai Central Week-end Express and the weekly Chennai Central-Mysore-Chennai Central Express, a daily overnight express (both

ways) between Chennai Central-Prasanthi Nilayam / Mysore could be easily run.2. The frequency of the weekly Mysore-Dadar Sharavati Express via Hassan may be increased to

bi-weekly / tri-weekly / daily with fresh timings instead of the present timings of the PDY/TEN-DDR-PDY/TEN Express between Arsikere and Dadar.

3. The Weekly Garib Rath Express running between Chennai Central and H. Nizamuddin may be made as a bi-weekly service as indicated below:

12611 Garib RathStations 12612 Garib Rath Express Remarks

Express

Existing Proposed Existing ProposedNo change in the days

Sat Sat, Tues D MAS A Tue Mon, Friof service and timings

06.10 hrs 06.10 hrs D MAS A 2015 hrs 2015 hrsin case of MAS-NDLS

12.00 hrs 12.00 hrs D BZA D 1430 hrs 1430 hrs bi-weekly RajdhaniExpresss, MAS-NZM

….. …... D Warangal D ….. …..bi-weekly Duronto

18.00 hrs 18.00 hrs D BPQ D 0830 hrs 0830 hrsExpresses, NZM-SCweekly Rajdhani

20.45 hrs 20.45 hrs D NGP D 0535 hrs 0520 hrsExpresses and NDLS-

02.10 hrs 02.10 hrs D BPL D 0005 hrs 2345 hrsBilaspur bi-weekly

10.25 hrs 10.25 hrs A NZM D 1555 hrs 1535 hrs Expresses both ways.

Sun Sun, Wed A NZM D Mon Sun, Thu

Naming of trains1. The Tiruchchirapalli Jn – Mayiladuthurai – Tiruchchirapalli Jn Express (daily service) via

Thanjavur may be named either as Delta Express or Delta Queen. A portion of this train may run between Thanjavur and Nagapattinam via Tiruvarur. Incidentally, the composite districts of Tiruchchirapalli, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu are together called as Delta Districts.

2. Notwithstanding the fact that the Chennai Central-Mysore-Chennai Central Express is named as Kaveri Expresses, the Mysore-Mayiladuthurai-Mysore Express (daily service) via Erode, Tiruchchirapalli and Thanjavur may be named as Cauvery Queen Express or Cauvery MathaExpress since this train runs along the course of River Cauvery throughtout its trip.

3. The bi-weekly Chennai Egmore – Madurai – Chennai Egmore Super-fast Express via Thanjavur may be named as Alagar Express Express.

4. The daily Tambaram-Chennai Beach-Tambaram Ladies Special (EMU Local) may be named as Mathruboomi Local in case not done so far.

5. The names of erstwhile trains such as Vikram Sheela Express (NDLS-Bhagalpur) / Sone Bhadra Express (NDLS-PNBE), Kutub Express (NDLS/NZM-Jabalpur), Chota Nagpur Express (NDLS-Ranchi / Hatia), Shivalik Queen Narrow Gauge Express (Kalka-Simla), Kangra Valley Narrow Gauge Express Pathankt-Joginder Nagar), Upper India Express (DLI-Sealdah), Ganga Yamuna Express (DLI / Mathura-Varanasi), Assam Mail (NDLS-GHY), Pink City Express (DLI-Jaipur), Flying Mail (NZM / NDLS – ASR), Panchavati Express (Mumbai-Manmad) etc may be re-introduced in respect of select trains.

6. In addition, appropriate new train names, as suggested against each of the proposed trains, may also be picked-up for naming a train.

Speeding up

1. The Guruvayur-Chennai Egmore (daily) Express may be speeded up between Nanguneri and Chennai Egmore in such a way that it leave Tirunelveli around 0715 hrs, TPJ around 1345 hrs and reaches Chennai Egmore around 2000 hrs.

2. The bi-Weekly Nagercoil-CST Mumbai Express may be speeded up between Nagarcoil and Renigunta in such a way that it leaves Nagercoil at 0630 hrs, leaves Dindigul at 13.10 hrs, TPJ at 1440 hrs, CGL at 1920 hrs and takes the present timings from RU onwards.

3. The tri-weekly Tirupathi-Rameswaram Express may be speeded up between Thanjavur and Rameswaram.

4. The Alappuzha-Dhanbad / Tata Nagar Express may be speeded up between Salem and Vijayawada (both ways). A pantry car may be provided.

5. The weekly Ernakulam-Patna Express may be speeded up between Chittoor and Patna. 6. The bi-weekly 12629 YPR-NZM Karnataka Sampark Kranti Express may be speeded up

between Bhopal and NZM, at least by 90 minutes. As a bunch of three to four trains leave Bhopal towards New Delhi between 0025 hrs and 0055 and a few of them, including the Rajdhani Express overtakes the Karnataka Sampark Kranti Express, which causes the delay.

7. The bi-weekly Chennai Central-Lucknow-Chennai Express may be speeded up both ways. Change in Timings

The Chennai Egmore-Rameswaram Sethu Express could have a delayed start of 2 hours ex-MS for the benefit of en-route passengers as well as the Rameswaram bound passengers / pilgrims. (Present Timings: MS: Dep: 1700 hrs RMM: Arr: 0345 hrs) (Proposed Timings: MS: Dep: 1810 hrs RMM: Arr: 0430 hrs). This will also facilitate either running of a Shatabdi Express between Chennai Egmore and Madurai (evening return service) or routing the Chennai Egmore-Tiruchendur Sendur Express via the chord line. While the Chennai Central-Thiruvanathapuram Central bi-weekly AC Express could have a delayed start of around 60 minutes, the corresponding service from Thiruvanthapuram Central to Chennai Central could have an advance start of around 90 minutes for increasing the patronage, etc.

Rationalization / Re-organization of trains1. The West – Coast Express (daily service) running between Chennai Central-Mangalore-

Chennai Central is a highly patronized train. In this connection, it will be preferable to run a Link Express between Ernakulam-Chennai Central-Ernakulam, with amalgamation either at Shoranur or Palghat, thus making the West-Coast Express a 26 coach train with day timepopular timings. However, since the rakes of the West Coast Express is presently utilized torun the Chennai-Mangalore-Chennai Mail, it will be a better option to run a separate super-fast train named Athirampally Express on the lines of popular trains, between Chennai-Ernakulam-Chennai, just in advance of or just following the (i) Chennai Central-Thiruvanthapuram- Chennai Central Thiruvanthapuram Mail or (ii) Chennai Central-Alleppey-Chennai Central Alleppey Express or (iii) Chennai Central-Mangalore-Chennai Central West-Coast Express both ways.

2. The Alleppey-Dhanbad / Tatanagar Express (daily service) is a highly patronized train. It is high time that the train is made into two separate trains as Ernakulam-Dhanbad-Ernakulam Express and Alleppey-Tatanagar-Alleppey Expresses, respectively, the former converted into a super-fast service together with pantry car facility and the other speeded up between Salem-Vijayawada-Salem (both ways).

3. The existing Mysore-Mayiladuthurai-Mysore Expresses, the Mysore-Tuticorin-Mysore Expresses, the Mayiladuthurai-Tiruchchirapalli-Mayiladuthurai Expresses and the Bengaluru-Nagarcoil Expresses (all the trains are daily services) could be re-organized in the following pattern:

The Mysore-Tuticorin Express will run only between Mysore-Madurai. However, to cater to the passengers from and to Tuticorin side, a Link Express will run between Bengaluru-Tuticorin-Bengaluru merged with Bengaluru-Nagercoil-Bengaluru Express with amalgamation at Vanchi Maniyachi Jn. The proposed Mysore-Madurai Express will arrive at Madurai at 0725 hrs. After due maintenance at Madurai, the rake will leave Madurai at 1015 hrs to Mayiladuthurai as Poompuhar Express, picking up the existing timings of Tiruchchirapalli-MayiladuthuraiExpress between Tiruchchirapalli Jn and Mayiladuthurai. On reaching Mayiladuthurai, as per the existing system, the rake will immediately return / run as Mayiladuthurai-Mysore Express. Similarly, the Mysore-Mayiladuthurai Express, which arrives at Mayiladuthurai at 0700 hrs, as per the existing system, will immediately leave Mayiladuthurai at 0810 hrs and run up to Madurai as Poompuhar Express, with the present timings between Mayiladuthurai and Tiruchchirapalli. After due maintenance, the rake can leave as Madurai-Mysore Express.

Re-routing of trains1. As originally planned, it will be preferable to run the tri-weekly Dadar-Tirunelveli-Dadar

Express via YPR, KRR, TPJ and DGL instead of the present YPR, KRR, DGL route. 2. To increase patronage, the weekly Jaipur-Madurai-Jaipur Suvidha-Premium Express may be

routed via Chennai Egmore and Tiruchchirapalli. 3. The weekly Chennai Egmore - Gaya – Chennai Egmore Express may be routed via Varanasi

and Allahabad ex-Mugalsarai to increase the patronage. 4. The weekly Prasanthi Nilayam - Chennai – Prasanthi Nilayam – Chennai Central Express may

be (ex-Arakkonam) routed via Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu and Tambaram. 5. The weekly Yeswantpur - Chennai – Yeswantpur – Chennai Central Express may be (ex-

Arakkonam) routed via Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu and Tambaram. 6. The weekly Mysore-Chennai-Mysore Express may be (ex-Arakonam) routed via

Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu and Tambaram. 7. The Chennai Central-Palani-Chennai Central Palani (daily) Expresses could be routed via

Villupuram and Tiruchchirapalli (Chennai / Tambaram Dep: 2105 hrs / 2135 hrs, respectively). However, for the benefit of the passengers traveling by the existing route, a Link Express service between Chennai Central-Palani-Chennai Central may be run by the Chennai Central-Mysore-Chennai Central Kaveri Express between Chennai Central-Jolarpettai-Chenai Central both ways thereby making the Kaveri Express as a 26 coach train.

8. The Chennai Egmore-Manamadurai-Chennai Egmore bi-weekly Silambu Express may be routed via Thanjavur at least on one day.

9. The Bi-Weekly Howrah-Tiruchchi-Howrah Express via VRI may be routed via Thanjavur, at least on one day, without any much change in the arrival timings at TPJ (0415 hrs).

10. Similarly, the bi-Weekly H.Nizamuddin–Madurai-H.Nizamuddin Sampark Kranti Expresses via VRI may be routed via Thanjavur, at least on one day, without any much change in the arrival timings at MDU (Around 0430 hrs).

11. The bi-Weekly H. Nizamuddin–Kanniyakumari-H. Nizamuddin Thirukkural Expresses via VRI may be routed via Thanjavur, at least on one day.

12. The weekly Puducherry – New Delhi – Puducherry Express may, in addition to Chennai Egmore, touch Chennai Central (both ways), so that it gets adequate patronage in respect of II Class Sleeper passengers. Notwithstanding the fact that the route suggested is a circuitous one and involves an extra one hour run, it will turn out to be a wonderful / convenient overnight express for the passengers embarking / disembarking at Vijayawada, Nagpur, Bhopal and New Delhi in particular and will reduce the traffic in Dadar-Amritsar-Dadar Express on the Itarsi-New Delhi-Itarsi stretch.

13. In order to increase the patronage between Chennai-Mannargudi-Chennai, the weekly Bhagat-ki-koti-Mannargudi-Bhagat-ki-koti Expresses may, in addition to Chennai Egmore, touch Chennai Central (both ways). No change in timings is involved since already extra running hours have been provided between Chennai and Gudur.

14. To increase the patronage, the bi-weekly Duronto Express running between Chennai Central-Madurai-Chennai Central could be speeded up by originating it from Chennai Egmore and routing it through chord line (Onward Journey: Chennai Egmore: Dep: 2105 hrs Madurai: Arr: 0525 hrs). The other option will be convert this bi-weekly Duronto Express into an AC Express and route it through the chord line with stoppages at Tambaram, Tiruchchirapalli Jn and Dindigul. (Onward Journey:Chennai Egmore: Dep: 2105 hrs TPJ: Dep 0305 hrs DGL: Dep: 0420 hrs MDU: Arr: 0525 hrs).

15. The Chennai Egmore-Tiruchendur-Chennai Egmore Sendur Express may be routed via Virudhachalam on the Chord Line instead of the main line. The other option will be to route the train via Chord Line, with a portion of the train continuing to run via the main line as a Link Express named Swamimalai / Karthikeya Express between Tiruchchirapalli Jn and Chennai Egmore or Mayiladuthurai. Besides running the train in the above cited pattern, another Link (or at least a few through coaches) could be run between Palani and Chennai Egmore with merger at Dindigul. In due course, this link could be extended from Chennai Egmore to Thiruthani as Thanigai Express. Another option will be route the Chennai Egmore-Tiruchendur-Chennai Egmore Express via Virudhachalam on the Chord Line and run a separate daily express train named Aaru PadaiVeedu Express between Tiruchendur-Palani with a Link Express named Thanigai Express running through up to Thiruthani via the main line and Chennai ex-Dindigul with merger of the Palani-Thiruthani portion also at Dindigul thereby connecting the six houses / temples of Lord Murugan in Tamil Nadu namely Tiruchendur, Thiruparakundram, Pazhamudircholai (near Madurai), Palani, Swamimalai and Thiruthani.

16. The 22630 / 22629 Tirunelveli-Dadar-Tirunelveli Express via DGL, Karur and Konkan Railway could be easily routed via DGL – TPJ – KRR and Konkan Railway without change in timings between Dadar-Karur-Dadar as indicated below, even though the suggestion is through a circuitous route.

Existing Proposed Stations Non-Monsoon Timings Monsoon Timings Remarks

22630 Exp 22630 Exp Existing Proposed Existing Proposed

07.10 hrs 06.00 hrs D TEN A 04.00 hrs 0545 hrs 09.45 hrs 09.45 hrs

11.10 hrs 09.35 hrs D DGL D 23.30 hrs 01.40 hrs 04.20 hrs 04.50 hrs

orTimings of

04.40 hrs the currentor NCJ-MAS

04.20 hrsWeeklyExp, etc,

Does not 11.00 hrs D TPJ D Does not 00.05 hrs Does not 03.40 hrs

touch TPJ touch TPJ touch TPJ orbetweenTPJ and

03.20 hrs

or KRR

03.05 hrs

12.20 hrs 12.20 hrs D KRR D 22.30 hrs 22.30 hrs 01.50 hrs 01.50 hrs

22629 Exp 22629 Exp 22629 Exp 22629 Exp

Providing of Additional StoppagesNotwithstanding the fact that Wardha Jn and Sevagram, on the Nagpur-Ballharshah / Wardha Jn. Sections, are nearby stations, all the trains, except Rajdhani and Duronto Expresses, coming from the east, west, north and south, and passing through Sewagram may be provided a two minute stoppage at Sewagram for change over of trains, etc. Most of the trains, including Rajdhani and Duronto Expresses, stop at Itarsi for operational reasons, etc. In this connection, all the trains coming from east, west, north and south, except the above mentioned prestigious trains may have a commercial halt at Itarsi (if not done so far) for the benefit of passengers.

The weekly LTT-Karaikal Express may be provided a stoppage at Perambur. The Chennai Central-Bengaluru-Chennai Central Shatabdi Express (06 days service) may be provided a 2 minute stoppage at Jolarpet both ways.

Circular Train Services (EMUs / DMUs)It is a known fact that the Circular Service tried in and around New Delhi as part of the Asian Games held at New Delhi in 1982 was a failure. However, in the light of the Delhi Metro being a big hit, the Circular Project may be relaunched / revived, by realigning the project in such a way that it facilitates easy transhipment on to Delhi Metro's trains, which will be a great help to the ever increasing population of the National Capital City (NCP). With Tiruchchirapalli as the base, the following circular / DMU / connecting services in and around Tiruchchirapalli alternating from one direction to another and vice versa may be tried on an experimental basis: (i) From Tiruverumbur side to Lalgudi side via Manjathidal, Tiruchchirapalli Town, Srirangam, Uthamar Koil, Vaaladi (ii) From Tiruverumbur side to Manaparai side via Ponmalai (Golden Rock), Tiruchchirapalli Jn (iii) From Tiruverumbur to Kulithalai side via Ponmalai (Golden Rock), Tiruchchirapalli Jn, Tiruchchirapalli Palakkarai and Tiruchchirapalli Fort and (iv) Tiruverumbur side to Keeranur side via Ponmalai (Golden Rock) and Tiruchchirapalli Jn.

Metropolitan Transport ProjectsIt would be interesting to note that, a few of the EMUs originating from Belapur Suburban station on the Panvel-CST Mumbai Harbour Line, especially during (i)peak hours, (ii)after the daily maintenance and (iii) after change of crew, etc., come empty from the Belapur EMU Depot to the Belapur station and after a two minute halt for picking up passengers, the gallops to the next station / destination thereby increasing the operational efficiency to a great extent. On the same lines, the said system could be replicated in respect of suburban services in and around New Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai, especially in case of fast-locals during peak hours. Let us take an example in the case of Chennai Beach-Tambaram-Chengapattu Suburban Section: During peak / rush / shopping hours, a few empty rake of fast-locals (EMUs) could approach the Chetpet suburban station on the third and fourth lines (which have been dedicated to long distance express trains / fast locals / goods trains), halt for two minutes for picking up passengers and proceed towards Tambaram side. On the reverse direction, the EMUs could empty the passengers at Chetpet to enable them to change over. Incidentally, these third and fourth lines have been provided with adequate platform facilities, foot over bridge, etc. Incidentally, Chennai is the only Metro which has not been provided with an AC rake. In fact, by using one AC EMU rake, shuttles could be run during peak / shopping hours and cricketing / festival days on the (i)Chennai Beach-Velachery via Chepauk (to cater to college students, office goers, professionals, IT personnel, picnickers, beach goers, cricket fans, etc), (ii)Chennai Beach-Tambaram via Chennai Airport (for students, office goers, professionals, workers, football fans, shoppers and air passengers), (iii)Chennai Central-Tiruthani via Avadi (for college students, factory workers, office goers, football fans and pilgrims) and (iv)Chennai Central-

Gummudipoondi Sections, for the benefit of the aforesaid rail users.In order to increase the revenue, Indian Railways may consider attaching at least one A/Ccoach in all the EMUs running across India, especially in the Metros, thereby enabling theupper middle class and rich to travel with ease without getting stuck and bullied in crowd. Fares may, however, be kept at profitable rates. Earlier budget announcements on automatic closing of doors in EMU trains need to be tested and trial run completed in Mumbai and Chennai suburban sections to implement the system Pan India for safer travel.

All the EMUs of the Indian Railways may be run with 12 coaches. Converting Tambaram, near Chennai, as a Terminus

It is heartening to note that the Tambaram Railway Station near Chennai is being converted into a Terminus. Accordingly, a few of the proposed / suggested trains [as trick/star marked (*) could be originated/terminated from/at Tambaram instead of Chennai Egmore/Chennai Central.

Seating capacityAll the inter-city day expresses, which run for more than 300 km one way, may be augmented / provided with II Class (reserved) Sleeper accommodation in addition to II class sitting (reserved and unreserved) accommodation.

Passenger Reservation System (PRS)The erstwhile box type instruments, with button press facility, kept at most of the computerised reservation centres to ascertain reservation availability, PNR status status, etc, were of a big help and passenger friendly to rail users comparing to the touch facility kishoks, IVRS, etc. In view of the above, such box type instruments, with button press facility, may be installed at all the computerised reservation centres notwithstanding the fact that such instruments get corrputed very soon on account of wear and tear. While the system could be outsourced to private parties, a nominal charge may also be collected from the users.

Rail Services in Partnership with Private SectorEven though rail operation on Indian raiway network by private firms is not permissible, private companies / parties can, as in the case of transport of commodities (only container service), be allowed to run / book chartered express trains to transport passengers (including rail car service) in select routes using Indian Railways network at least in a limited way on a trial basis during non-peak season.

Cancellation of Trains due to FogIndian Railways, as a measure to maintain punctuality, propose to cancel a quite number of trains in Northern India, that have a potential to cause detention, during the peak winter season. The list includes certain important / prestigious / super fast trains, such as G.T Expresses too. However, in order to mitigate the sufferings of rail passengers, railways, as in the case of monsoon timings and non-monsoon timings in Konkan Railway, may re-work the schedule with extended running hours en-route in respect of such trains, for a limited period of two months from December 15 to February 15. In addition, the lie over period given to these trains for carrying out maintenance could be rationalised in such a way that the outgoing link train could be operated on time. The other option will be run these trains up to an intermediate point / station and terminate / originate the return service from there. Eg. The Chennai Central-New Delhi-Chennai Central G.T. Express could run between Chennai Central and Bhopal / Itarsi / Nagpur only during this two month period provided the rake of this train is not linked with the Chennai Central-New Delhi-Chennai Central Tamil Nadu Express..

Issues, if anyA big kudos to the Ministry of Railways for deciding to run different type of Suvidha Trains(in place of Premium Trains) with a liberalized booking pattern, including 50.0 per cent refund of fare subject to various terms and conditions and most importantly allowing sale of tickets through PRS. In fact, the system, which is being presently implemented based on a demand pattern, is meant to run these trains with dynamic fare structure during peak seasons like summer rush, winter rush, festival rush, etc. However, it is felt that, like in the case of a few erstwhile Premium Trains, while certain Suvidha Expresses could run / made as regular / permanent services, a few Suvidha services could run as Suvidha Specials during peakseason, summer rush, winter rush, festivals, etc. Except for a few recently introduced Suvidha trains, which are meant to run during peak season, summer rush, winter rush, festivals, etc, the highly patronized route of Chennai Egmore-Tiruchchirapalli-Madurai-Nagercoil stretch has not been provided with most of theprestigious and special services like the Shatabdi Expresses, AC Expresses, Jan ShatabdiExpresses (except the MV-CBE Jan Shatabdi Express which passes through a stretch of 7 km between Ponmalai (Golden Rock) and Tiruchchirapalli Jn), Garib Rath Expresses (except the PDY-YPR weekly Garib Rath Express which passes through a stretch of around 60 km between VM and VRI), Yuva Expresses, Rajya Rani Expresses, Jansadharan Expresses, etc. At the most, only a bi-weekly Duronto runs between Chennai Central-Madurai-Chennai Central through/covering a stretch of around 60 km between DGL and MDU. In view of the foregoing, trains, such as the Shatabdi Express, Yuva Express, Rajya Rani Express, Garib Rath Express, Jansadharan Express, etc, as suggested in the preceding paragraphs may be considered. While most of the Zonal Railways run a quite number of Passenger Trains (mostly ovedrnight Fast Passengers) with II Class Sleeper accommodation and even AC 3 Tier Sleeper attached to them, in the entire Southern Railway, only one Passenger Viz. Madurai-Punalur-Madurai, being the only overnight Fast Passenger in the entire Southern Railway, has been provided with II Class Sleeper accommodation. Of course, the Tirupathi-Chamrajanagar-Tirupathi Fast-Passenger of the South Western Railway, which is provided with II Class Sleeper accommodation, partly covers both the South Central Railway and the Southern Railway juridication between Tirupathi- Katpadi-Tirupathi and Katpadi-Jolarpettai-Katpadi, respectively. In view of the above, it is requested that a few overnight Fast Passengers, especially those overnight Fast-Passenger trains which were withdrawn Viz. MS-Sengottai-MS, MS-TJ-MS, MS-DGL-MS, TPJ-RMM-TPJ, etc, could be run in the Southern Railway and these trains could be provided with II Class Sleeper accommodation as well as AC 3 Tier coaches. In this connection, one option will be to run a MAS-YPR-MAS Fast Passenger with II Class sleeper and AC 3 Tier accommodation. Amongst the Metro, Chennai Egmore is the only terminus where overnight trains, especially which do not have a pantry car attached to them, arrive even up to 0840 hrs thereby causing great difficulty to babies, children, pregnant ladies, elders, sick persons, etc. From the angle of reaching Chennai Central to continue their onward journey is also at stake. Their plight could be realized only on visiting the platform. Further commutation by other modes also becomes difficult. In this connection, it is suggested that efforts could be made in such a way that all the overnight trains, excluding the CAPE-NZM bi-weekly Tirukural Express and the MDU-NZM Tamil Nadu Sampark Kranti Express, could be made to arrive at Chennai Egmore at least latest by 0745 hrs. It is felt that this will be feasible, since the doubling between Villupuram and Chengalpattu in Southern Railway has since been completed and the running timing of the trains between Villupuram and Chennai are bound to get reduced to some extent.

In this connection, it is submitted that the suggested system of receiving all overnight trains

latest by 0745 hrs could be attempted at Chennai Central also by reducing the detention between Perambur / Basin Bridge and Chennai Central.Even though the stretch between Khandwa and Indore via Omkareswarar Road and MHOW has been converted into a BG line, only passenger trains are being operated. It will be better if a few express trains are either introduced or routed via this stretch at the earliest.

Trains at a Glance / Zonal Railway Time TablesIn addition to providing the abstract timings, the details / timings of all Duronto Expresses,select Suvidha trains and Premium trains may be indicated in the respective tables of Trains at a Glance / Zonal Time Tables for easy reference. As in the past, wherever possible, details, if any, of through / slip coaches should also be indicated in the Trains at a Glance. Like in the case of Hill Station Trains, the abstract details / timings of the DMU services running on the nationally important rail route of the Kashmir Railways namely Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (JUSBRL), including the branch-line /intermediate / part Sections thereof, which have been already opened for traffic Viz. Anantnag-Qazikund / Srinagar-Baramulla stretch, etc. Incidentally, the abstract details / timings of the Neral-Matheran-Neral NG Trains (Toy Train - hill service), which have been inadvertently left out to be incorporated in the Trains at a Glance may kindly be done. In addition to incorporating the details of days of service of a particular train, the abstract details / index of days of service of mail / express trains may be given in the initial pages of the Trains at a Glance as in the past. The list of trains and railway stations which have Wi-Fi facility may be provided in the Trains at a Glance / Zonal Time Tables.

Special one train request with many alternatives / optionsA Link Express (daily service) between Velankanni-Bengaluru or between Karaikal-Bengaluru or between Nagore-Bengaluru or between Nagapattinam-Bengaluru viaTiruchirapalli, merging with 17236 / 17235 Nagarcoil-Bengaluru Expresses (daily) at Karur may be introduced. It will be better if the 17236 / 17235 Nagarcoil-Bengaluru-Nagarcoil (daily) Expresses are routed via Tiruchirapalli (as initially / originally planned in the RailwayBudget of 2012-13 / 2013-14) to consider the above cited merger at Tiruchchirapalli Jn insteadof Karur. In this connection, it is submitted that the present timings of the 17235 Nagarcoil-Bengaluru Express will be appropraitely suit and facilitate the easy detachment of the Bengaluru-Velankanni/Kariakal/Nagore/Nagapattinam portion either / both at Karur or Tiruchchirapalli Jn since there is adequate platform vacancy in terms of existing timings. However, in order to make 17236 Nagarcoil-Bngaluru Express reach Bengaluru 2 hours in advance, the train could leave Nagarcoil at 1345 hrs, instead of 1905 hrs. This will also facilitate easy merger of the Link from Velankanni or Karaikal or Nagore or Nagapattinam either at Tiruchchirapalli or Karur as the case may be with adequate platform vacancy. (or)A new train connecting Bengaluru and Velankanni or Karaikal or Nagore or Nagapattinam (via Namakkal, Tiruchchirapalli Jn and Thanjavur Jn) could be considered with a Link Express to and from Karaikudi Jn with bifurcation / merger at Tiruchchirapalli Jn. (or)A new train connecting Mysore / Bengaluru and Madurai could be introduced with a Link Express to Velankanni or Karaikal or Nagore or Nagapattinam (via Namakkal, Tiruchchirapalli Jn and Thanjavur Jn) with bifurcation / merger either at Karur or Tiruchchirapalli Jn. (or)

A portion of Mysore-Mayiladuthurai-Mysore Expresses (daily) could run up to/from Velankanni

or Karaikal or Nagore or Nagapattinam as a Link Express with bifurcation / merger at Thanjavur Jn. (or)A portion of Mysore-Mayiladuthurai-Mysore Expresses (daily) could run up to/from Velankanni or Karaikal or Nagore or Nagapattinam as a Link Express ex-Salem Jn. The portion could be routed through Namakkal. (or)A new train (daily service) named Nandi Express connecting Mysore and Thanjavur via Bengaluru, Salem, Namakkal, Karur and Tiruchchirapalli could be introduced to reduce theheavy traffic in Mysore-Mayiladuthurai Express. (The three highlighted places are known for the huge Nandi Statutes, Nandi Hills, etc). (or)A new weekly Express between Karaikal or Nagore or Velankanni or Nagapattinam and Bengaluru via Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Ponmalai (Golden Rock) Bye Pass, Tiruchchirapalli Town, Srirangam, Lalgudi, Ariyalur, Virudhachalam, Attur and Salem may be run (both ways). (or)A portion of the Karaikal-Ernakulam-Karaikal Express (daily service) could run up to and from Bengaluru merging with Nagercoil-Bengaluru-Nagercoil Express at Karur Jn. (or)A portion of Mysore-Tuticorin-Mysore (daily) could run up to/from Velankanni or Karaikal or Nagore or Nagapattinam as a Link Express with bifurcation / merger at Karur Jn. (or)The Semmozhi Express (daily) running between Coimbatore-Mannargudi-Coimbatore could be extended up to Velankanni or Karaikal or Nagore or Nagapattinam both ways and a portion of this train could run from and up to Bengaluru merging with Bengaluru-Nagercoil-Bengaluru Express at Karur. (or)It will be preferable to run the tri-weekly Dadar-Tirunelveli-Dadar Express via YPR, KRR, TPJ and DGL instead of the present YPR, KRR, DGL route. This will facilitate the running of the suggested train at least thrice a week, with merger at Tiruchchirapalli Jn. (or)By using the idling rake of the Bhagat-ki-koti – Mannargudi weekly express at Mannargudi from 1800 hrs on Saturdays to 1130 hrs on Mondays, a weekly overnight express between Mannargudi-SBC/YPR-Mannargudi could be introduced via Thanjavur, Tiruchchirapalli, Karur, Namakkal and Salem. However, a better option will be to shunt the rake of Bhagat-ki-koti-Mannargudi Express, which arrives at Mannargudi on Saturdays at 1800 hrs, up to Nagapattinam via Tiruvarur as Mannargudi-Nagapattinam Weekly Express / Fast-Passenger and thereafter run a full-fledged Nagapattinam-Bengaluru / Yesvantpur-Nagapattinam weekly Express in one of the above cited routes. (Onward Direction: Nagapattinam: Dep: 2145 hrs (Saturdays), TVR: Dep: 2235 hrs, TJ: Dep: 2335 hrs, TPJ: 0040 hrs, KRR: 0200 hrs, SA: 0345 and SBC: Arr: 1000 hrs on Sundays). On the return direction, the train can leave SBC / YPR somewhere around noon on Sundays and reach Nagapattinam on the early morning of Mondays. Immediately, the rake may be shunted to Mannargudi as Nagapattinam-Mannagudi weekly express / fast passenger for its onward run to Bhagat-ki-koti. (or)It is known fact that by using a single rake, a to-and-fro tri-weekly express service could be easily run to a farthest distance of around 900 km (one way) or 500 km (both ways) between a pair of stations or to different destinations from a single nodal point. By following this model, among other destinations, at least a tri-weekly overnight express could be run either between Velankanni-Mysore or Karaikal-Mysore or Nagore-Mysore or Nagapattinam-Mysore via Thanjavur, Tiruchirapalli and Bengaluru.

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