Chennai: Union railway minister Suresh Prabhu on Saturday launched a series of initiatives taken up by Southern Railway. Prabhu dedicated a seven km Ennore-Tiruvottiyur fourth line and a 10 KW solar plant at the Moore Market for railway passengers. Through video conferencing, he also inaugurated the food plazas at Tambaram and Tiruchirappalli, the differently-abled friendly restroom at the Moore Market complex, elevated booking office at Pallavaram railway station.
Various passenger amenities and LED lighting facilities at different railway stations in Chennai and Madurai division were also inaugurated by the minister. Speaking at the inaugural, he proposed a coastal railway route conn-ecting Chennai and Kanyakumari and sought the state government's cooperation for its effective implementation. Both the Centre and the state should work together to ensure all the projects are completed on time. India needs to invest in railways and build a modern system like that of China. There should be an increase in the speed of implementation of the projects in the shortest period with transparency at less cost. The railways want to implement plans to increase revenue and achieve Rs 40,000 crore in non-fare revenue, he said.
The railways also want to implement an energy policy by tapping into non-conventional sources of energy such as solar and the wind. Developing infrastructure in the railway station similar to that of the airports is on top of the agenda emphasised Suresh Prabhu. Union minister of state for road transport and shipping Pon Radhakrishnan and TN Finance Minister D Jayakumar also spoke and submitted a petition on railway facilities required for their respective constituencies. Southern Railway GM Vashishta Johri also spoke at the function.
