Extend Madurai-Punalur Express to Nagapattinam or Karaikal for better access to Sri Lanka ferry service, railways urged

The railway passengers associations have requested to extend the Madurai-Punalur night express train service to Nagapattinam or Karaikal to provide better access to the ferry service from Nagapattinam to Sri Lanka.

Passengers from the southern districts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu are showing growing interest in traveing on this ferry from Nagapattinam. At present, there is no direct train between Nagapattinam and southern districts. To address this issue, the passengers associations have urged the railways to extend the Madurai-Punalur train to Nagapattinam or Karaikal.

Office-bearers of the Southern Districts Passengers Association pointed out that only two stations — Tiruchi and Villupuram — had maintenance facilities in the Tiruchi division. Extending train service may pose challenges in maintenance. Therefore, they suggested that the train be extended to Nagapattinam or Karaikkal for three days a week, with the remaining four days of service extended to Tiruchi where maintenance could be carried out.