The Southern Railway has zeroed in on the defunct Salt Cotaurs located near Periamet as a site to locate a coaching terminal.
The feasibility study for the coaching terminal has been completed and is set to be presented to the Railway Board for approval.
A senior official of Southern Railway said the terminal at Salt Cotaurs would help in decongesting the Chennai Central railway station, which is operating trains beyond the manageable level.
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The creation of a fourth terminal would help in aiding the Chennai division in operating more long-distance trains.
The official said that the technical study for the coaching terminal at Salt Cotaurs has been completed and would soon be placed for approval before the Railway Board.
“Previously, a coaching terminal was planned at the Tondiarpet railway yard, but that proposal was scrapped due to certain deficiencies in the topography. Finally, we have identified the place at Salt Cotaurs for setting up the fourth coaching terminal in the city,” he said.
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At present, the city has railway terminals at Chennai Central, Chennai Egmore and Tambaram.
9 tracks planned
The proposed railway terminal would have nine tracks serviced by five island platforms to save on platform space and ease of train operation. The only drawback of this coaching terminal would be the lack of servicing facility for the arriving trains, as there would not be any maintenance yard.
A senior official of the Chennai division said though the Basin Bridge railway yard was located nearby, the facility could not be used because the railway yard had reached saturation point.
This is one of the reasons for the Railways planning a maintenance yard in Tambaram, he added.
Railway sources said the Tondiarpet railway yard proposal was given up as being on a low level it would get flooded during heavy rain.