Tamil Nadu - Madurai   

Madurai station to go world class

S. Vijay Kumar

Rs. 18 crore to be invested for state-of-the-art infrastructure

Photo: S. James

Moving towards glory: Flooring work under way in front of the Madurai Railway Station. —

MADURAI: In a bid to showcase the rich heritage of the Temple City and modernise passenger amenities, the Southern Railway is looking at developing the Madurai Railway Station as a world class terminus. At least Rs. 18 crore will be invested in creating state-of-the-art infrastructure, including air-conditioned waiting halls.

For the first time, a high speed apron will be laid at a cost of Rs. 4.4 crore on the main platform to facilitate operation of trains at higher speeds.

“Trains enter stations at a low speed since the vibrations can develop cracks on the concrete apron on platforms. The high speed apron will be resistant to such vibrations enabling trains to run up to 75 kmph. This will save the time lost in slowing down or picking up normal speed,” the Additional Divisional Railway Manager, R. Suyambulingam, said.

A terminal building and centrally air-conditioned commercial complex will come up on the eastern side that will serve as a second entry to the station. The buildings with column-free grid roof for more circulating area will house automated teller machines (ATMs), multi-cuisine restaurants and other modern amenities. Rare photographs signifying Mahatma Gandhi’s visits to Madurai, replicas of temples and tourist destinations in the division such as Kodaikanal, Rameswaram and Courtallam will also be displayed with road maps.

The Divisional Railway Manager, Hemant Kumar, said that old buildings adjacent to the parcel office would be demolished to construct the second entry. A spacious parking lot with separate lanes for cars and autorickshaws was part of the project.

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