Years after the Udayanpatti station here was closed by the railway administration, there is a renewed demand from the public now to reopen it.
Situated at arms length from the Tiruchi Railway Junction in the Tiruchi – Pudukottai broad gauge section, the station which had been functioning for several years was closed by the railway administration in 1996.
Seniors residing in the station’s vicinity say the station was closed by the railway administration due to poor patronage and less income. Subsequently, the railway platform was removed when gauge conversion works were taken up in the Tiruchi – Pudukottai section more than a decade ago.
With Tiruchi rapidly expanding over the years, the topography of Udayanpatti currently falling within the Corporation limits and situated near the busy K.K. Nagar area has completely changed over the years with proliferation of residential localities and a host of educational institutions coming up.
The dilapidated railway station building and the unused quarters adjoining it besides a vast expanse of railway land presents a bleak look even as the station building has numerous residences in its vicinity.
With public movement sharply rising in and around Udayanpatti in the last 10 years, there is now a renewed demand from the locals to reopen the railway station for public use.
The area has completely changed now with numerous residential colonies and a slew of educational institutions having come up, says 69-year-old A. Subramanian who has been residing in the area since 1980s. Petitions and memorandums seeking the reopening of Udayanpatti station have been submitted to the railway authorities as well as to the district administration authorities. However, nothing fruitful has emerged so far, say locals.
If Udayanpatti railway station is reopened, it would immensely benefit residents of K.K. Nagar, Udayanpatti, Sathanur, Echikalampatti and numerous nearby villages as they need not have to go either to Tiruchi Junction or Kumaramangalam, says Mr. Saravanan a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The Railways would not loose both in terms of revenue and patronage now if the Udayanpatti station was reopened given the rising population in the station’s vicinity, says Mr. Saravanan.
The CPI(M) had submitted a separate memorandum to the Divisional Railway Manager, Madurai as Udayanpatti station falls within the jurisdiction of Madurai Division. Petitions were also given to CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member T.K. Rengarajan and Tiruchi Collector in this regard.
Railways could make good use of their land near Udayanpatti station to lay a line on which some coaches could be stationed if there was lack of space at Tiruchi, suggests Mr. Subramanian.
“We are not asking for a new station. The public are only seeking the reopening of the station which was already functioning for several years bearing in mind the present rise in public movement in areas in and around Udayanpatti,” say Mr. Subramanian and Saravanan in one voice.
