Margao: The Sanvordem-Curchorem Rail Consumers Association has appealed to Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Arlekar to restore the Vasco da Gama-MGR Chennai weekly express, which has remained suspended since the Covid-19 pandemic.In a letter, the association’s president, Devanand Bhandari, said the train ran between Goa and Chennai for several years before the pandemic. He said it was suspended temporarily when the pandemic spread, and rail users were told it would restart once the situation eased.“However, till today the same has not been restarted even after our continuous reminders and follow-up with the authorities concerned,” the letter states.The association highlighted that the Vasco-MGR Chennai train was a budgetary train approved by the Centre in the Union budget. After the pandemic, however, the train has been running only between Hubballi and MGR Chennai, it said.With its memoranda to South Western Railway (SWR) going unanswered, the association has asked Arlekar to “put up” its demand before the railway authorities in SWR, Hubballi, and ensure the train restarts immediately.The letter is signed by Bhandari, a member of the Zonal Railway Users’ Consultative Committee (ZRUCC) of SWR Hubballi, and Ashish Karmali, an advisory member of the association.
