It used to be joked that a railway timetable is a book that helps you know how late trains are. Lately I tend to travel to Madurai and Chennai by train more often. Then I was surprised to see the Pandian Express train reaching Chennai Egmore railway station 10 to 40 minutes before the scheduled time.
One day, while traveling from Madurai to Chennai by Toronto train, it reached Perampur railway station 30 minutes before the scheduled time. From there the last stop is Chennai MGR. Distance to Central Railway Station is 6 kms. The allotted time to cross this as per schedule is 52 minutes. That means that the train that came early that day took 82 minutes to cover the distance of six kilometers.
Initially the trains were powered by steam engines. That is, trains were driven by burning coal, steaming it, and pressurizing the wheels. When this charcoal cart is operated, the smoke and small pieces of charcoal that it spews out can injure the eyes.
At that time, the Thiruvananthapuram metage train from Tenkasi to Chennai took 18 hours to cover a distance of about 600 km.
At that time the railway was single track and metage. In 1825, the white men built the first railway in England to transport their troops and goods from one place to another. But 28 years later in India, on 16.4.1853, the first passenger train was run between Bombay and Thane (21 miles).
The 13-coach train was powered by three steam engines. But Indian Railways had to wait for almost 102 years to see the next breakthrough. Railways started gaining momentum in independent India due to the vision of Pandit Nehru.
In August 1955, diesel locomotives were introduced on the Western Railway to replace coal-fired steam locomotives. Two years later, diesel locomotives began to creep onto the broad-gauge railway. A train engine manufacturing factory was started in West Bengal under the name of Chittaranjan Das.
On October 2, 1955 (Gandhi’s birthday), when Kamaraj was the Chief Minister, R. Venkatraman’s ventures set up a coach factory. Today in India there are railway coach manufacturing factories in the states of Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. Bihar has an electric locomotive manufacturing plant.
Metro rail manufacturing factories are running in Gujarat. Today the rails have been strengthened to carry a 24-coach high-speed train. Apart from this, there is a narrow gauge railway. It has been declared a World Heritage Site.
Also, the railway lines are converted into double track and triple track as per requirement. It is a surprising fact that apart from the broad gauge conversion project, other track conversion works are going on without any disruption to traffic.
It took over 100 years for Indian Railways to switch from steam engines to diesel engines, but the first electric engine-powered Mumbai VT (today’s Shivaji) Kurla Harbor train was launched in 1925. In three years, India will cross the century of running its first electric train.
Once I was traveling by train from Penang, Malaysia to Singapore. The entire carriage was made of Evasilva plates. I was curious to know the country in which the coach was manufactured. When I found out that it was made in Perampur, Chennai, my curiosity was blissful.
Today, Indian railway coaches are exported to many countries. Just as used cars or refurbished cars are available for sale in the car market, India also reconditions used railway coaches and engines and gives them to poor countries as a gift or at a low price.
Metro Rail came to India on 24.10.1984 with the first railway line running in then Calcutta. But it was only after Delhi Metro started on 25.12.2002 that the Indian Metro took shape and spread to many cities.
One day I was traveling in Madurai-Sengottai passenger. The train which was traveling slowly till Rajapalayam started running very fast after passing Rajapalayam. I checked its speed through the ‘Rail Yatri’ app on my mobile phone. It showed that the train was traveling at a speed of 120 kmph.
It used to take 18 hours to reach Chennai by train from Tenkasi. Today it has reduced to around 10 hours. The train which was called Thiruvananthapuram Mail then became Kollam Train and now Potigai Train.
Today three weekly trains and three daily trains operate between Kollam – Chennai. Many trains also run between Madurai and Chennai. The third class has been removed from the earlier classes one, two and three and passengers are provided with panjumat in the second class compartment as well.
In 1985, when Southern Railway sanctioned a refrigerated coach, I requested that it be given to the Kollam train. Friend Thoothukudi Maniraj said that he should give it to Muthunagar Vandi. In the end it was allotted to the Chennai-Sengottai train.
I was traveling from Chennai to Delhi by Chow Car that day. Many air-conditioned sleeper trains are running throughout the day. Even though the Railways has indirectly raised the fares, the train journey is still fast and safe today. So even today train is the preferred mode of transport of people.
The Madurai – Chennai Tejas train covers a distance of about 495 km in 6 hours and 15 minutes. That means it travels at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour. Based on today’s facilities, the Tejas train can run at a speed of 150 kmph.
Almost all railway crossings have gates attached. Many flyovers have been constructed. So, the speed of this train is 150 to 170 kmph. can increase up to This will significantly reduce the Chennai-Madurai travel time. Also Railway Department should consider extending this train up to Kanyakumari.
Can a single track passenger train run at a speed of 120 kmph, can an electric locomotive run a train at a speed of 150 kmph? I have traveled on trains running at 250 kmph in Germany and 350 kmph in France. The progress achieved by Japan and China in the railway sector is astounding.
Indian Railways is the 4th largest railway operator in the world after USA, Russia and China, with more than 2.5 crore passengers traveling daily. This is more than the population of many countries. It is believed that the car manufacturers and the aircraft manufacturers are indirectly hindering the growth of American railways.
The railway department should mandate that passenger trains in India travel at a speed of 80 kmph, sleeper trains at night at a speed of 100 kmph, daytime trains with seating facilities at a speed of 160 kmph, and trains traveling over 1,000 kmph at a speed of 200 kmph. By doing so, the travel time of the people will be greatly reduced and additional trains can be run.
Also, road accidents and natural pollution will be greatly reduced. If this is possible one can leave Nellai in the morning and go to Chennai, finish his work and return home at night. The central government and the railway department should take a quick decision.
Author:
Former Member of Legislative Assembly.