Draft plan prepared for redevelopment of Kumbakonam Railway Station

The plan contains a host of aspects including dedicated air concourse, separate arrival/departure terminals, green building and construction of Yatri Nivas near the Kumbakonam station

The Kumbakonam railway station | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

A draft conceptual plan has been prepared by the Southern Railway, for the proposed redevelopment of the Kumbakonam railway station.  

The draft plan readied by the technical consultancy firm, engaged Southern Railway, has proposed a slew of improvements at Kumbakonam station, a major one in the Tiruchi Railway Division. 

The plan has been submitted to the Southern Railway Construction Organisation which has been entrusted with the task of executing the proposed redevelopment. 

Kumbakonam was identified as one among the railway stations in the Southern Railway zone for redevelopment with others being Tirunelveli, Chenganur and Thrissur. Following this, the railway administration had issued the Letter of Acceptance in August last year to a Nagpur-based technical consultancy firm to prepare the master plan for the proposed redevelopment of Kumbakonam station. 

Railway sources said the consultancy firm had given the draft conceptual plan recently to the Southern Railway Construction Organisation. The plan contains a host of aspects including dedicated air concourse, separate arrival/departure terminals, green building and construction of Yatri Nivas near the Kumbakonam station. The sources said the consultancy firm was asked a few queries which be incorporated in the draft plan. 

The draft plan would be discussed in detail by senior officials of the Southern Railway Construction Organisation as well as with the officials of the Tiruchi Railway Division and would later besubmitted to the Railway Board, New Delhi for further discussion and for making presentation.  The sources said the draft plan has made projections in respect of passenger traffic for the next 40 years after studying the existing facilities and passenger traffic at Kumbakonam station.

Based on the approval from the Railway Board for the final plan, the estimates would be prepared and sent to the Board for sanction of funds. The sources said the plan was to execute the redevelopment project at Kumbakonam through the EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) mode.

The over 145-year-old Kumbakonam station is one among the major revenue generating stations in Tiruchi Railway Division after Tiruchi and Thanjavur.