Rockfort Express to stop at Trichy after August 27

It can now be said with some certainty that the Rock Fort Express would be terminated at Trichy on August 28 this year, and it will not run beyond Trichy to go to Kumbakonam, the current destination on the route.

The train was first cancelled in 2000 during the gauge-makeover on the Thanjavur-Villupuram mainline. In 2006, it was reintroduced and extended up to Thanjavur, and then to Kukbakonam in 2008.A railway source at the computer section on Wednesday confirmed that the computer does not accept booking from Trichy to Kumbakonam beyond August 27 from Trichy, and the stations after Trichy such as Tiruverumbur, Budalur, Thanjavur Jn, Papanasam and Kumbakonam have been knocked down from the computer on the Rock Fort Express. So, Trichy gets back its eponymous train after a gap of 12 years.

The annual railway timetable issued on July 1, this year has official word statement on the train status saying, "Train no.16177/16178 Chennai Egmore-Trichy/Kumbakonam Rock Fort Express will be terminated at Trichy from a date to be notified later." It also said that the revised composition (the number of coaches) would be advised accordingly. However, it said the Rock Fort Express will, after it is finally terminated at Trichy, leave Trichy at 22.20, which is twenty minutes late than the present schedule.

The federation of consumer and service organizations said every organization and political party must claim credit for bringing the train back on its original rails. The organization has even sent a legal notice to the Railways to operate Rock Fort Express from its original destination.

The notice addressed to the chairman of the rail board, New Delhi; the general manager, Chennai; and the DRM, Trichy mentioned that Trichy topped the list of top 10 destinations from Chennai.

The notice sent by advocate D V Veerasamy, on behalf of the organization said the railways "instead of introducing new trains to accommodate the ever increasing demand, and providing seats to the non-PRS passengers, have planned to reduce the accommodations through extension of existing trains to other places. This is purely disservice to the existing passengers of Trichy."

The federation's members recently sat on a one-day token hunger strike in Trichy demanding restoration of trains with their original schedule prior to the budget. The joint director of public grievances at the general manager's office in Chennai, B Nageswara Rao had replied to the federation saying, "The matter is being referred to the concerned authority for necessary action."

Meanwhile, Trichy Siva MP said he had given a representation to union railway minister Malligarjun to provide a stopover for Trichy-Tirunelveli intercity express at Manapparai, which is situated 40km away from Trichy. He said he has also prevailed upon the railway minister to stop Rock Fort at Trichy, and also to provide a special train between Trichy and Bangalore via Karur, Namakkal and Salem.

Source