Coach guidance facility at Coimbatore Junction soon

The Coimbatore Railway Junction in all likelihood will get coach guidance indicators installed on its platforms in a few days. The Southern Railway – Salem Division was planning to step up the work for installation of the facility so that it could be inaugurated on January 10 along with the second sub-way with escalators.

This was conveyed to the members of the Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee (DRUCC) meeting held in Salem recently.

The meeting, presided by Divisional Railway Manager Sujatha Jayaraj, also placed on record that earnings during the current period had gone up by eight per cent recording an earnings of Rs. 357 crore.

DRUCC member representing the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry R. Raveendran said that for a plea for increasing one more II AC coach in Cheran Express, authorities said that already Cheran Express was running with a full capacity of 24 coaches.

Cheran Express is operated on a coach sharing arrangement with Navjeevan Express and the detaching and attaching of the pantry car on a daily basis will be difficult.

The members also sought an increase of one AC chair car coach in Jan-shatabdi Express which is witnessing a long waiting list.

Officials promising to consider the plea pointed out that ordinary chair car coaches were running with only 70 per cent occupancy. With regard to an additional third AC coach in Coimbatore – Nagercoil Express, officials promised to concede the same at the earliest.

Officials also promised to take it up with their counterparts for attaching a pantry car in the Coimbatore – Bikaner AC Express.

Works for giving facelift to Peelamedu station will begin soon as it has been chosen for Aadarsh station status, the officials said.

With the sanction of funds by Coimbatore Corporation, proposals for revival and constructions of defunct railway stations Urumandampalayam, Pudupalayam and Veerapandi have been sent to the Railway Board for clearance and added that works will begin soon.

Gauge conversion

With regard to the Podanur – Pollachi gauge conversion kept pending for want of funds even after completion of land acquisition, officials said that they expected fund release to happen before March 2014. Officials also said that they were also in favour of giving stoppage for all trains at Coimbatore North Junction especially those terminating at Coimbatore Junction and a proposal in this regard had been sent to the Railway Board.