Tamil Nadu   

Rail link: Coimbatore’s cup of woes overflows

Coimbatore: The more than three-decade-old dream of Coimbatore coming under a division headquartered within the State is turning out to be a reality after a series of protests and representations. However, the cup of woes continues to overflow in terms of better rail connectivity for the region.

The new Salem Railway division being inaugurated on Thursday renews the hopes of the rail users in the Western Tamil Nadu for better rail connectivity and infrastructure. Despite being the second largest revenue spinner in the Southern Railway next to Chennai, Coimbatore continued to suffer from poor rail connectivity.

Coimbatore that hosts a number of industries, textile mills, manufacturing facilities, educational institutions and hospitals besides being a gateway for Kerala and Udhagamandalam, a hill station in the neighbouring Nilgiris, continued to suffer from inadequate rail connectivity, pointed out S. Vaidyanathakrishnan of the Coimbatore Railway Passengers Association.

He also stressed the need for areas within a State remaining under the control of a division headquartered within the State to avoid complaints of discrimination.

Taking away of the railway headquarters from Podanur to Olavakkode in Palakkad district of Kerala marked the beginning of partisan and step-motherly treatment for Coimbatore and nearby areas, observed K. Kathirmathiyon, secretary of Coimbatore Consumer Cause. Inordinate delay in completing the construction of two-railway overbridges and the work for doubling the railway line between Coimbatore and Irugur dragging on for the last two decades stand testimony to the step-motherly attitude, he added.

While the railway authorities were keen to have Coimbatore with the Palakkad division because of its revenue potential, they seldom bothered to provide new trains or facilities at the railway stations, accused C.M. Jayaraman, vice-president of the Citizens Voice Club. Introduction of new train services with Coimbatore as the origination point would definitely serve the travel needs of those living in Udhagamandalam, Erode, Tirupur and other nearby places, he added.

The textile city proving to be a promising Information Technology destination was attracting workforce besides visitors/tourists. But getting a confirmed train ticket would be a Herculean task, K. Ramakrishnan of the Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam pointed out. Mr. Ramakrishnan said there was an immediate need for direct overnight express train service from Coimbatore to destinations such as Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Nagercoil and Rameshwaram besides service to Goa via Mangalore.

In the absence of a direct overnight train service to destinations in Southern districts, the people are forced to relay on bus services. In the absence of bus service, the omnibus operators thrived charging exorbitant fares. Coimbatore today accounted for operation of more than 100 omnibuses to various destinations. The immediate need would be to operate direct night train service to Nagercoil/Kanyakumari and Rameshwaram via the existing broad gauge line rather than waiting for the completion of the gauge conversion of the Coimabtore – Dindigul – Madurai section. Similarly, the large number of Keralites living in and around Coimbatore for travelling to Thiruvananthapuram and other destinations in Kerala had to rely on the few train services or omnibuses.

There is no overnight train connectivity between Bangalore and Coimbatore. For tapping the tourist traffic and pilgrims visiting Tirupati on a regular basis, the Southern Railway could run daily services to Goa via Mangalore and to Tirupati. But these demands had always been turned down with stock replies such as pathway congestion and lack of terminal facilities.

In the last several years, nothing significant had been done to tide over these constraints to make the Railways help accelerate the growth of this region.

All those rejoicing over the formation of the new division are pinning hopes that the new division would get these long-pending demands turn into a reality.

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