The just completed electrification of the nearly 40 km long Coimbatore - Mettupalayam line ready for inauguration anytime soon and the upcoming rail museum at Mettupalayam are some of the benefits that bring cheer to residents of Coimbatore. Electrified line could translate into Electrical Multiple Units reducing the travelling time and thereby increase the prospects of more services.
However, Western Tamil Nadu continues to remain an island with no direct and shorter rail connectivity with Southern Tamil Nadu, thanks to the Podanur - Pollachi broad gauge line conversion works, which remains evasive for years. It looks almost certain that it could be a decade-long wait. The 160-km meter gauge rail line laid in 1920 between Madurai and Coimbatore gave the better, shorter, faster and overnight rail connectivity for Western Tamil Nadu with the South.
The line was terminated in May 2006 for taking up the broad gauge conversion and first Coimbatore - Podanur line was taken up terminating trains at Podanur. In May 2009, even the Podanur - Pollachi line was taken up, thus, completely stopping train services. Skeleton services from Coimbatore to Madurai on the Coimbatore - Erode - Karur section served the travel needs of the people to a very little extent, says R. Raveendran of Coimbatore Railway Struggle Committee.
Hit by delay on various counts, the project has suffered cost escalations over the last four years, he added.
The total gauge conversion included Madurai - Dindigul - Palani - Udumalpet - Pollachi besides Pollachi - Palakkad and Pollachi - Podanur - Coimbatore works.
While the works in the other sections progressed faster, Palani - Pollachi, Pollachi - Palakkad and Pollachi - Podanur - Coimbatore sections alone went through a snail’s pace. Now, works have been completed up to Pollachi and trains are being operated.
Even the Pollachi - Palakkad section works have been completed and trial runs have been completed and even this section is likely to be thrown open for passenger rail traffic any time soon, points out Jameel Ahmed of the committee.
First hit by land acquisition cases and then by fund constraints, the Podanur - Pollachi section works resumed only after allocation of funds and the pace of works needs to be accelerated for faster completion. Railway sources indicated that works are likely to be completed by March 2016 and the prayers of rail users is that it should be completed by that deadline at least this time.
In the absence of rail services, South-bound passengers are left to rely only on omni buses, points out G.K. Nagaraj of the committee.
Even as there is a gleam of hope for completing the project by the fixed deadline this time, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam student wing leader V. Easwaran has urged the railway authorities to revive the railway stations that existed earlier on this section.
