I agree that connectivity wise this extension will serve better but it is way much circuitous (Already MDU - OKHA plies on a similar route). But, I am not against it or supporting the extension though.
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I think you are underestimating the connection SGNR TPJ provides for TPJ or if it will get extended to RMM. TPJ SGNR is one single train passing through many major metropolitan cities like Salem, Bengaluru (K.R.Puram), Davangere, Hubbali, Belagavi (one can take buses here for Panjim), Kolhapur (from Miraj/belagavi), Pune, Kalyan (for Mumbai), Surat, Vadodara, Ahmedabad,...
more... Marwar(for ajmer), Jodhpur, Bikaner through shorter route and convenient timings. Among the above places, many doesn't even have their direct train to rameswaram say for eg. Mumbai.
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Moreover, it does byepass only Jolarpettai at Tamilnadu. Even if it gets extended to rameswaram, it would be covering Ramanathapuram distri ct, western parts of sivagangai and pudukottai districts, Tiruchy, karur, namakkal, salem, thirupathur districts which is obviously not just a small part of tamilnadu. Agree it can get more halts in Tamilnadu though.
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I genuinely believe that extension of SGNR - TPJ - SGNR would be one of the best bet for Rameswaram in terms of connectivity.
please wait...Translate to EnglishMan, this extension might make things easier to get connected, but it's such a long way around (I mean, the MDU - OKHA already covers a similar route). I ain't totally against it or supporting it though. ЁЯд╖тАНтЩВя╕П
I feel like you're not seeing how important the link between SGNR and TPJ is for TPJ or possible extensions to RMM. The TPJ SGNR route goes through some major cities like Salem, Bengaluru (K.R.Puram), Davangere, Hubbali, Belagavi (you can catch a bus to Panjim here), Kolhapur (from Miraj/Belagavi), Pune, Kalyan (for Mumbai), Surat, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Marwar (for Ajmer), Jodhpur, Bikaner taking a quicker route and at good times. Plus, many of these places don't even have a direct train to Rameswaram like Mumbai.
And hey, it only skips Jolarpettai in Tamilnadu. If it does extend to Rameswaram, it's gonna cover Ramanathapuram district, western parts of Sivagangai and Pudukottai districts, Tiruchy, Karur, Namakkal, Salem, Thirupathur districtsтАФ which is a big chunk of Tamilnadu. It could definitely use more stops in Tamilnadu though.
Honestly, I think extending SGNR - TPJ - SGNR would be the smart move for better connectivity to Rameswaram. ЁЯЪЖ