T’puram: Southern Railway is hesitating to run more trains from Thiruvananthapuram via Kollam, Punalur and Sengottai, to Tenkasi and Chennai though special trains have been a success.More convenient direct trains will help tourists from the state capital and its surrounding areas reach Courtallam falls and Tenkasi which is emerging as an agri tourism hub. Currently, the road route via Thenmala sees high traffic on weekends and festival days.As the Onam special weekly trains that are being operated along the route is a success, Kollam-Sengottai Railway Passengers Association has requested the railways to continue the services on a regular basis to Chennai.The railways had earlier operated a few special trains from Thiruvananthapuram North to Chennai via the Kollam-Sengottai route but did not turn it into regular services.The railways had run special trains from neighbouring states to Kollam for the Onam season as Thiruvananthapuram Central is congested.Dipu Ravi of Kollam-Sengottai Railway Passengers Association said that its much easier to operate trains from Thiruvananthapuram via Kollam and Sengottai than operating a train from Ernakulam. He said that a train from Thiruvananthapuram North to Tambaram was discontinued citing congestion at Tambaram because of redevelopment work at Egmore railway station.The passenger association hopes that the railways will resume the service as the route is currently underutilised apart from a few passenger trains and a couple of regular express trains including Tuticorin-Palakkad Palaruvi Express and Guruvayur-Mandurai Express.Now, special trains to Tambaram and Velankanni are being operated along the route from Thiruvananthapuram.The Kollam-Sengottai line has been electrified making it easier for the railways to operate trains from Thiruvananthapuram via Kollam to Tenkasi and Chennai. Such services can cater to the passengers who travel to Sengottai, Tenkasi, Courtallam, Virudhunagar and other regions and can also serve as an alternative route to operate trains from Thiruvananthapuram to Chennai.
