Coal news and updates

Southern Railway proposes to build 19km line in Tuticorin to ferry coal

Southern Railway has proposed to build a new track between Tuticorin and Melamaruthur power plant to transport coal, a top official said on Thursday.

Once the new track is laid, Madurai Railway Division could load five million tonne of coal every year, said chief operation manager of Southern Railway S Anantharaman.

Speaking at a function to honour the best performing employees of the operation department of Madurai and Tiruchirappalli railway divisions here, Anantharaman said Southern Railway fell short on the loading front but achieved significant improvement in wagon turnaround time.

Southern Railway had approached the Railway Board seeking permission for the 19km railway line between Tuticorin and Melamaruthur, he added.

"It is expected that the section will become a reality in less than two years," he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Madurai divisional railway manager Sunil Kumar Garg highlighted the urgent need to have double lines between Madurai and Virudhunagar, the highly congested line in the division.

source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com