The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : Swami Vivekananda Express to skip Coimbatore Junction

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Monday, Jun 13, 2011
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Swami Vivekananda Express to skip Coimbatore Junction

V.S. Palaniappan

COIMBATORE: After Science Express- an innovative science exhibition on a specially designed train- in April, now it is the turn of Swami Vivekananda Express to skip Coimbatore Junction.

A route map and itinerary released by the Southern Railway reveals that the expo on wheels portraying the life of the great saint Swami Vivekananda which was at Chennai Central on Sunday would move to Kancheepuram, Katpadi, Puducherry, Madurai, Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and reach Ernakulam on July 8. In the entire itinerary in Southern Railway region, the train does not even visit or halt at Coimbatore for even a single day, official sources pointed out.

The train with six air-conditioned coaches showcases the photographs, write-ups and souvenirs recollecting the life of the great saint Swami Vivekananda. The train was flagged off by former Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee from Howrah Railway Station in West Bengal on January 12, 2011 to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. Since then the train is on a visit to various places in the country. The train is being accorded reception by Sri Ramakrishna Mutt's at the respective places. Unfortunately, Coimbatore, an educational hub with a large number of youth, is not finding a place in its itinerary. The last theme expo on wheels to visit Coimbatore - Mother Theresa Express- was in January this year and after that despite being an educational hub Science Express skipped Coimbatore.

“Not just the passenger trains, even the theme express trains are skipping or ignoring Coimbatore Junction,” said S. Ravi, a railway infrastructure activist.

Coimbatore is being meted out a raw deal in terms of infrastructure, new train services or routing of existing trains despite being a second largest revenue spinner in the entire Southern Railway next only to Chennai, pointed out R. Raveendran of Residents Awareness Association of Coimbatore. When contacted, Southern Railway officials admitted that Coimbatore was not in the schedule and added that the route and halts for these trains are not divided at the local level.

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