chennai Television

The following are direct benefits from the railway budget 2008-09 for Tamilnadu

1. Ten Garib raths are introduced for all India. Two of them passes through Tamilnadu. Yesvantpur-Puducherry (Tri-weekly)and Bangalore-Kochuveli(Tri-Weekly)

2. 53 new Trains to be introduced all over India. The following Nine are for Tamilnadu

1. Varanasi-Rameshwaram Express (Weekly)
2. Gaya-Chennai Express (Weekly)
3. Chennai-Rameshwaram Express (Daily) via Mayiladuthurai-Karaikudi (after Gauge conversion)

4. Chennai-Tiruchchirappalli Express (Daily) via Mayiladuthurai (after Gauge conversion)

5. Chennai-Salem Express (Daily) via Vriddhachalam (after Gauge conversion)

6. Madurai-Tenkasi Passenger (Daily) (after Gauge conversion)

7. Villupuram-Mayiladuthurai Passenger (Daily) (after Gauge conversion)
8. Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur Passenger (Daily)
9.Chennai-Tiruchendur Express (Weekly)

Four more trains Yeswantpur-Jodhpur Express (Weekly), Kochuveli-Dehradun Express (weekly), Machallipatnam-Bangalore Express (Tri-weekly) and Amritsar-Kochuveli Express (Weekly) will pass through Tamilnadu.

3. A New line for Ennore Power Station is also proposed.

4. Extention of Train routes-Tamilnadu

1.2677/2678 Bangalore-Coimbatore Express to Ernakulam
2.2691/2692 Chennai-Bangalore Express to Sri Sathyasai Prashanti Nilayam
3.6733/6734 Madurai-Manmad Express to Rameswaram on one side and Okha on the other
4.2083/2084 Coimbatore-Kumbakonam Jan Shatabdi Express to Mayiladuthurai (after Gauge conversion)
5.571/572 Bangalore-Salem Passenger to Nagore (after Gauge conversion)
6.724/725 Tuticorin-Tirunelveli Passenger to Tiruchendur
The following train which passes through tamilnadu is frequency increased.
2431/2432 Nizamuddin-Thiruvanthapuram Rajdhani Express from biweekly to tri-weekly

5. New Railway lines - Tamilnadu

1. Nagapattinam-Velankanni
2. Gauge conversion in Karaikkudi-Manamadurai of Trichy-Manamadurai, Tiruvarur- Nagore of Trichy-Nagore-Karaikal will be completed very soon
3.Salem-Cuddalore and Trichy-Manamadurai gauge conversion will be undertaken after completion of above.
4.Tiruvannamalai-Villupuram of Katpadi – Villupuram Gauge conversion will be finished this year.
5.Provision in budget for new line between Chennai-Puducherry-Cuddalore
6.Villupuram-Dindigul doubling and Tiruvallur-Arakkonam fourth line have also been included in the budget
7.Provision in budget for new line between Erode-Palani
8.Provision of gauge conversion between Madurai-Bodinayakkanur
9.Extension work of Vellachari- Saint Thomas Mount section has been started. This work is expected to be completed by December 2010 at the cost of Rs. 496 cr.
10. Survey for new lines proposed for Karaikuddi- Ramanathpuram-Tuticorin-Kanyakumari,Chidambaram-Attur via Perambalur,Thanjavur-Ariayalur

6. The following are common benefits all over India.

1. Sleeper fare reduced by 5%
2. AC-III reduced by 3%
3. AC-II reduced by 4%
4. AC-I reduced by 7%
5. Senior women citizens will get 50% concessions [present-30%]
6. Free monthly season tickets in second class for girl students up to 12Th standard and boys up to 10Th standard will be extended for girls up to graduation and boys up to 12Th standard.
7.Ticket booking on mobile phones, extension of Jansadharan ticket booking seva, e-ticket for wait listed passengers
8.Other passenger amenities like online coach indication display board, online train arrival departure information board and online reservation availability board and provision of discharge-free green toilets in all 36,000 coaches during 11Th plan period at a cost of Rs 4,000 crore have been proposed.
9. 5 per cent reduction in freight rate for petrol and diesel
10.14 per cent reduction in freight rate for fly ash
11. No increase in Freight rates.
12. 2 per cent reduction in fares of new-look sleeper class
13. Railway employees to get 70-day bonus.
14.New modernization schemes including elevator, escalator, multi-level car park
15. All porters promoted as grade 4 railway employees thus ensuring fixed income.

Where we Missed
1. World class stations proposed for Delhi, Mumbai and Patna only.
2. Yesvanthpur-Coimbatore train to be extented to Ernakulam- coimbatore will lose some berths.