New Delhi: Senior DMK leader and Lok Sabha MP TR Baalu has demanded new rail link projects for Tamil Nadu in the coming Rail Budget, a new railway terminal in Rayapuram and making bi-weekly Chennai-Rajdhani a daily service. In a memorandum to Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi, Baalu has demanded Rs 200 crore for the Villupuram-Tiruchirappalli Dindigul doubling work, Rs 150 crore for Villupuram - Chengalppattu doubling work and Rs 65 crore Velankanni - Tirukuvalai - Tiruthuralpoondi new line among others for their speedy execution. He also demanded undertaking survey work for a new link between Kumbakonam and Viruddhachalam via Jayankondam and construction of a new line between Karaikal and Peralam through PPP mode while regretting that not much attention was paid to the state by railways to meet its growing requirements.
He said that as Karaikal port has emerged as a major port, there was an urgent need to develop this alternative route to meet the growing freight business of this port.
Baalu sought "a new passenger train from Mannargudi to Tirupati and conversion of the existing bi-weekly Chennai Rajdhani express as a daily train".
Besides, he sought conversion of bi-weekly New Delhi Kanyakumari Tirukkural express train into a daily train in keeping with the demand of the Tamil speaking people in the national capital or a new service connecting Delhi to Kanyakumari.
PTI