Pollachi Train Passengers Welfare Association has appealed to the Railways to resume the trains between Coimbatore and Pollachi Junctions that were stopped in 2020 owing to COVID-19 imposed restrictions.
Association president S. Balakrishnan said in a letter to the Collector and the Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee (DRUCC) that till March 2020, the Coimbatore Junction - Pollachi Passenger Unreserved (56183) train would depart at 5.45 a.m. daily and reach Pollachi Junction by 6.45 a.m. Similarly, the Pollachi-Coimbatore Passenger Unreserved (56184) train left Pollachi by 8.30 p.m. and reached Coimbatore by 9.45 p.m.
The late evening train was also a link train for passengers of Pollachi, Kinathukadavu and Podanur travelling to other destinations, boarding the train at Coimbatore Junction. This included passengers from Pollachi area boarding Chemmozhi Express (16615), Alleppey Express (22639), Nilgiri Express (12671), Chennai Mail (12602, 12624) and Cheran Express (12674) and trains between Palakkad - Tiruchendur.
BJP Mahila Morcha national president and Coimbatore South MLA Vanathi Srinivasan, who met Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav in New Delhi on Tuesday, said in a statement that it is a long-pending demand of Coimbatore and Pollachi residents which must be implemented immediately.
Sources at the Salem Division of the Southern Railway said they have received several petitions and the resumption plans are yet to be discussed by authorities.
Railway station to get facelift
Coimbatore railway station will soon get a facelift as the Union government has promised to improve the facilities at the station at ₹300 crore, said Ms. Srinivasan.
A press release that the Minister has agreed to develop the railway station with world-class infrastructure. This includes development of the North Coimbatore railway station with parking facilities.
She also presented him with a list of demands to operate trains to various areas. Extension of Amrita Express up to Coimbatore, resumption of Mettupalayam - Rameswaram train services via Coimbatore, and a train to Tiruchendur from here are among the demands.
