Salem Rly Division: decision pending with Board

Madurai, Sep 29 (UNI) A decision on creating a new railway division with headquarters at Salem vests with the Railway Board, which will also decide the jurisdiction of the new division, Southern Railway General Manager Thomas Varghese said today.

Responding to queries at an interaction with newspersons here after reviewing the progress of various projects, he disclosed that no financial allocation had been made towards this in the current budget.

Stating that Southern Railway had already sent a project report to the Board in this regard, he said even in the supplementary budget in September, funds had not been earmarked. It was for the board to decide on the matter, he added.

On increasing the speed of super fast trains operating in down south, he said the Board was considering enhancing the speed from 55 kmph to at least 60 kmph. Responding to a question, he maintained that the growing demand for stoppages at stations has turned out to be a major impediment to accentuating the speed.

Admitting that many new trains announced in the budget in this sector were yet to be introduced, he said they would shortly be on track 'with a certain amount of push'. These new trains included the Chennai-Trivandrum and Chennai-Cochin weekly services.

Detailing the measures aimed at enhancing Railway security, he said the Train Activated Warning Device (TAWD), successfully tested in five unmanned level crossings (ULC) in Tiruchirapalli Division, was awaiting clearance from the Board for being installed at all other places. The new device was designed to help reduce mishaps at the ULCs, he added.

All Divisional Headquarters would be equipped with surveillance cameras, each costing Rs 25 lakh, he said adding that 52 cameras have been purchased for the purpose. Madurai Division would get a separate Bomb Detection and Disposal crew besides four sniffer dogs to enhance the strength of the dog squad here to six.

Claiming that the Southern Railways was least affected by the operations of the low-cost airlines, Mr Verghese said the railways continued to enjoy the patronage of the traveling public. In his opinion, the airlines, including the public carrier Indian, have failed to make a dent on the Railways prospects. The flight schedule and timings not being conducive could also be a factor for this, he admitted.

On the performance of Southern Railways, he said it had achieved 12 per cent growth, which was stated to be much above the average rate of eight to ten per cent. As on September 20, it had earned a profit of Rs 1400 crore surpassing the previous year's mark of Rs 1226 crore, registering a 14 per cent increase, Revenue from freight traffci accounted for Rs 520 crore, far exceeding last year's Rs 465 crore.

Turning to enhancing facilities for passengers, he said Rs 27 crore had been sanctioned for this year to provide more amentiies and with this major improvements would be taken up at select stations, five each chosen from each division. While Rs one crore had been earmarked for Madurai alone, other stations would get an allocation ranging between Rs 50 lakh to Rs 75 lakh.

UNI CR PM DB2231