Thillaivilagam residents are worst-hit
Work on gauge conversion from the old meter gauge to broad guage on the Karaikudi to Tiruvarur segment has begun, and villagers in and around Tiruthuraipoondi, Nagapattinam and Vedaranyam are delighted.
The residents of Thillaivilagam, for instance, are the worst-hit since the closure of the railway station about five years ago. Although work on gauge conversion was expected to be taken up immediately, the inordinate delay had disappointed them.
Kothandaraman...
more... of Thillaivilagam said the train service had been an essential part of their livelihood. Due to the delay, the movement of agricultural produce and salt from Vedaranyam came to a grinding halt.
The fact that a large godown had been constructed decades ago at Tiruthuraiponndi railway station to stock agricultural produce and salt bags speaks volume about the commercial importance of the station.
“Although delayed, the work has begun, and it has created a confidence in our minds about the economic development of the region”, he added.
Priority to project