Passengers revive demand for Theni-Madurai train, say need of the hour

Madurai: Commuters held a protest at Madurai Junction railway station on Friday demanding the operation of a direct passenger train between Theni and Madurai during morning and evening peak hours.

Protesters said the long-pending demand had gained urgency as road traffic between the two districts continued to increase every year.Thousands of students, daily wage workers and government and private sector employees travel between Theni and Madurai every day, but the absence of an early morning passenger train continues to force them onto crowded buses and vans. Many commuters depend on Madurai for education, employment, healthcare and access to government offices, making the daily journey both time-consuming and expensive.R Sankaranarayanan, president of the Dindigul-Kumuli Broad Gauge Scheme Agitation Committee, said a direct train service existed between Theni and Madurai before 2010 when the section operated on metre gauge tracks. He said the service was discontinued after the line was converted to broad gauge and was never restored despite repeated representations.He said residents of not only Theni but also Usilampatti, Andipatti and Sekkanoorani would benefit if MEMU-type services were introduced between the two cities. “Every time I travel to Madurai district court, I have to get down at Arapalayam bus stand and board another city bus to reach the court complex,” said advocate R Thirumugan from Theni.Passengers also rejected Southern Railway’s contention that a MEMU service may not be commercially viable, arguing that the heavy rush witnessed in buses every day itself demonstrated the potential passenger demand for a rail connection.