Poor connectivity to southern districts, particularly to Madurai, plagues rail passengers even two years after the completion of broad gauge line work in the Coimbatore - Pollachi route.
The services on the Coimbatore – Pollachi – Udumalpet – Palani – Madurai metre gauge section was suspended in 2009 to facilitate the broad gauge conversion work that started in 2010. Although the work was completed in 2017, passengers rue the lack of train services that were earlier operational on the section.
S. Ravi, railway activist and intellectual property rights professional, told The Hindu that the Coimbatore – Madurai – Rameswaram overnight train and Coimbatore-Madurai Intercity Express operated during the times of the metre gauge line were yet to be reintroduced.
“Only the Coimbatore – Nagercoil / Tuticorin overnight express and the Coimbatore – Nagercoil fast passenger offers daily connectivity between Coimbatore and South Tamil Nadu, and that too via the longer route of Coimbatore – Tiruppur – Erode – Karur – Dindigul – Madurai, which is 70 km more than the shorter route via Podanur – Pollachi – Udamalpet – Dindigul to Madurai,” Mr. Ravi said in an e-mail interview.
R. Raveendran, secretary of Residents Awareness Association of Coimbatore (RAAC), echoed similar sentiments.
He said the Coimbatore – Madurai – Rameswaram overnight train was the immediate need of the people in the city. “There are no night trains to Madurai from Coimbatore at the moment. Thanks to lack of strong political leadership at the national level for lobbying, Coimbatore continues to be dependent on omni buses for travel to southern districts,” he said.
Members of the Coimbatore Railway Struggle Committee said the frequency of the Coimbatore – Rameswaram Express that remains a weekly service - on Tuesdays from Coimbatore and on Wednesdays from Rameswaram- should be increased. “It should be made a daily service in the long run and as a tri-weekly service in the beginning,” the members said
The members also demanded one more night train from Coimbatore to Chennai and sought increase in frequency of Kongu Express to Nizamuddin.
“In addition, the Railways should operate an overnight train from Mettuppalayam to Goa via Mangalore and another service to Thiruvananthapuram,” they said.
Observing that the rail connectivity has not been adequate to “commensurate with the burgeoning population and industrial requirements,” Mr. Ravi said that this condition has led to pressures mounting on road traffic resulting in accidents particularly on roads leading to Avinashi, Mettupalayam and Pollachi.
Railway sources said that trains were now operated via Tiruppur, Erode and Karur to meet the demands of the people from these districts. However, the sources added that a proposal for Coimbatore – Madurai train via Pollachi has been submitted and orders were awaited.
