KOCHI, Kerala, 10/10/2019: First commercial programme at Cochin Harbour Terminus on Thursday. Photo : Thulasi Kakkat/The Hindu
Cochin Harbour terminus looks festive. A stage is set and there is a buzz of activity around it; a meeting is underway and, around it, the theme ‘a day in a train’ is falling into place.
There are props of book stalls, vintage telephone booths and railway announcements. Bearers dressed like porters wander about with trunks, breathing new life into Cochin Harbour Terminus, the city’s heritage railway station.
Railway authorities are now opening out this station as a venue for private events, with the aim of generating revenue to enable them to take care of its upkeep.
This terminus was recently in the news when a 163-year-old EIR 21, believed to be the oldest steam locomotive, was operated from Ernakulam Junction to the terminus station earlier this year.
“Unlike a convention centre or a hotel, a venue like this brings in so many opportunities for creativity; it is also a way of preserving a slice of history,” says Saritha Babu, creative director of Greenix Village, which is holding an event at the Cochin Harbour Terminus.
In addition to generating revenue, this also reminds locals about the historical relevance of the terminus, and invites them to be a part of it.
Days in the sun
Cochin Harbour Terminus was once a vital station providing rail connectivity to the southern segment of the port of Kochi, located on Willingdon Island. Built in 1943, mainly to handle cargo, it remained important, until Ernakulam developed. The Tea Garden Express to Mettupalayam and the Island Express to Bangalore started from here.
However, as the focus shifted to Ernakulam station, Harbour Terminus’s significance declined. All trains to the terminus from Ernakulam Junction were stopped in 2013. It was renovated and a Diesel Electrical Mainline Unit (DEMU), Kerala’s first, was launched by the Railways in 2018, between Ernakulam Junction and Harbour Terminus. But that was soon withdrawn as it had poor patronage.
Undetterred, the terminus is now readying for more events. The historical station will now become a venue for birthday celebrations, wedding shoots and exhibitions.
“One of the benefits of renting it out has been that the station and its surroundings were cleaned in order to make it presentable to the people,” says Arun, who works at the 108 MC/MF Detachment on the premises of the terminus station.
The Cochin Harbour Terminus event co-ordinator can be contacted at 9846020091.
