Tamil Nadu: No direct train from Chennai to Velankanni; broad gauge for 13 years

The railway line from Nagapattinam to Velankanni was converted to broad gauge (BG) and opened for operation more than 13 years ago. Still, a daily service from Chennai to Velankanni, a well-liked tourist attraction and pilgrimage site in the delta area, is still a pipe dream.

 

During the summer vacation and festival seasons, thousands of visitors and devotees are forced to take buses and other alternative forms of transportation due to the lack of a direct rail from Chennai to Velankanni.

While authorities from the Southern Railway have said that special trains for the summer would be announced shortly to Velankanni, they have not provided any information on the start of regular daily service from Chennai. According to frequent visitors, the broad gauge conversion operation to Velankanni cost crores of money, yet the portion is still underutilized since there isn’t a daily service from Chennai or other important cities.

The Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Health in Velankanni draws thousands of visitors every year from Chennai and other regions of the state between April and January. To get to Velankanni, train travelers from Chennai and nearby regions now use the Chennai Egmore – Karaikkal Kamban Express. To go to Velankanni, which is 11.5 kilometers from Nagapattinam, they must disembark at Nagapattinam at 3.40 am and catch the Nagapattinam – Velankanni DEMU passenger train at 4.30 am.

During the meter gauge period, the Chennai Egmore – Karaikudi/Nagore Kamban express was in service. The Kamban express’s broad gauge version was first inaugurated in 2010 and ran from Chennai Egmore to Karaikkal. However, it was not reintroduced till Karaikudi since the Tiruvarur to Karaikudi section’s wide gauge conversion work had not yet been finished.

In July 2013, three years after the wide gauge Kamban Express was inaugurated, slip carriages were introduced for Velankanni. At Nagapattinam, five of the express’s coaches were removed and transported to Velankanni, with the remaining rake continuing on to Karaikal.

The services to Velankanni, however, continued to be irregular and often canceled for a variety of reasons.

The express’s slip coaches were brought back in early 2019 in response to strong requests from visitors and residents, but they were removed once again in 2022 when the railway board decided to stop operating them as a matter of policy.

Disembarking in Nagapattinam at 3.40 am causes a great deal of trouble for travelers. “My family and I often make the pilgrimage site trip together, numbering six to ten people. Children and the elderly alike suffer because of it, according to Kancheepuram schoolteacher S Peter Arokiyaraj.

Antony Michealraj, a regular visitor from Korattur, said, “Despite significant public expenditure, railway officials should have been held accountable by the CAG audit for not using the Nagapattinam–Velankanni broad gauge line.” It simply suggests that railway management lacks responsibility.