Rail passengers using the Coimbatore Railway Junction will soon get new multi-level, automated two-wheeler and car parking lots, said Salem Divisional Railway Manager Hari Shankar Verma here on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters, he said the car parking lot would have a capacity to accommodate 360 cars. The division was in discussion with the manufacturers of such facility and a decision would be taken in the next couple of months. The two-wheeler parking lot would be a ground plus two storey structure to be constructed at a cost Rs. 2 crore.
The two would considerably reduce the congestion at the junction.
At present, there was no proposal for an overnight train from Coimbatore to Bengaluru. But the priority was to flag off the day train between the two cities, as announced by Railway Minister in his budget speech.
He was working to get Shatabdi coaches and then replace them with the ‘uday’ coaches, as and when they were ready.
There were no plans at present for new trains from Coimbatore or additional coaches in existing trains because the division saw a drop in passengers by 2.5 per cent but an increase in revenue by seven per cent.
The number of passengers has to increase only then he could suggest new trains to the Railway Board.
In response to a question on water refilling booths, Mr. Verma said that the IRCTC was about to allot 30 to 40 booths and it would be installed in stations across the division.
He also spoke about his plans to install a steam locomotive outside the Junction and open souvenir shops at Coimbatore and Mettupalayam stations, widen the ‘1A’ platform at the Coimbatore Railway Junction and undertake a similar move at the Mettupalayam Junction.
