The Thanjavur District Railway Users’ Association has urged the Union Railway Ministry to initiate the long-awaited doubling of the main line in two phases.
In a letter to Union Railway Minister Ashwin Vaishnaw, the association pointed out that the project to double the 193 km track between Thanjavur and Villupuram was approved in 2019 and was still in the nascent stage.
Stating that Southern Railway ran many trains through this section to provide direct connectivity to various regions despite severe traffic constraints, the association said that this section acted as a feeder for other branch lines such as Mayiladuthurai-Agasthiyampalli/Mannargudi, Peralam-Karaikal and Thiruthuraipoondi-Karaikudi sections. The monorail was said to stand in the way of introducing new trains over the main line.
In addition, traffic on the Thanjavur-Mayiladuthurai section peaked, especially at night, and the railways was forced to schedule special trains via Tiruvarur and skip the section.
Citing Kumbakonam station development work in view of the 2028 Mahamaham festival, the association said it would be difficult to run “festival/additional services” to clear the extra rush without increasing the capacity of the Thanjavur-Mayiladuthurai section.
The association therefore pleaded that the doubling of track between Thanjavur and Mayiladuthurai could be considered in the first phase and Southern Railway should be asked to submit a detailed report on the project without delay.
Published – 15 May 2026 18:28 IST
