Divisional Railway Manager Subhranshu on Tuesday said that the railway was planning to develop Coimbatore North as a second railway terminal in addition to Coimbatore Junction. The move is aimed at decongesting the landlocked Coimbatore Junction.
He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the function to inaugurate the new building at the Coimbatore North Junction. P. Nagarajan, Member of Parliament, Coimbatore, declared open the new station building at North Coimbatore junction today in the presence P.R. Natarajan, Former Member of Parliament, Coimbatore. The new station building was constructed at a cost of Rs. 35 lakh met from the MPs Local Area Development fund sanctioned by the former MP P.R. Natarajan.
The new station building has a built up area of about 500 sq.ft. and the advance ticket booking centre, station master room presently functioning from the old station building will be shifted to the new building and the unreserved tickets counter will continue to function from the old building itself.
To a query from the MP on the long pending demand for an overnight train for Bangalore, Mr. Subhranshu said that such decisions are taken at the Railway Ministry level and requested the MP to take up the matter with Railway Ministry and Board.
On stoppage of express trains at Peelamedu station, DRM explained that the present platform length at Peelamedu is not long enough to accommodate express trains that are 24 coaches long and promised to consider the same when the platform length is increased.
When the goods shed workers represented to DRM for provision of bathing and washing facilities at North Coimbatore station, he instructed the officials to keep the present facilities open to them. Later, the MP along with DRM inspected the Coimbatore North Railway Station.
Later, addressing the media persons, Mr. Shubhranshu said that the opening of the new station building is the first step towards decongestion of Coimbatore junction by way of terminating a few trains at Coimbatore North station, and making it a second terminal.
He further added that the Commissioner for Railway Safety (Southern Circle) S.K. Mittal along with DRM and K.V.V. Satyanarayana, Chief Project Manager/Railway Electrification, will be inspecting the newly electrified section between Coimbatore North and Mettupalayam on Wednesday which may help in operating more trains from Mettupalayam and enable trains with electric locos reach Mettupalayam from North Coimbatore. After developing Coimbatore North into a full-fledged second terminal, steps would be taken to shift the cargo terminal fully to Irugur Junction, the officials said.
‘Steps will be taken to shift the cargo terminal fully to Irugur Junction after developing Coimbatore North into a second terminal’
