Raiway Time Table Upsets Coimbatore
The railway time table which has come into effect on July 1 has once again shattered the hopes of Coimbatore people who were longing for a better rail connectivity to destinations such as Bangalore and Thiruvananthapuram. Regular travellers and associations of trade and industrial bodies had been demanding introduction of overnight direct express trains to various destinations. The textile city had expected an announcement in the Railway Budget in February this year to this effect but only one overnight train i.e., Coimbatore–Nagercoil Express Train was announced bringing relief to the migrant population from the southern districts that had settled here either for employment or business opportunities. Given the growth of Coimbatore in terms of information technology industries, the city had been waiting for the introduction of an overnight Express train to Bangalore as the existing train from Kanyakumari to Bangalore had a very low quota of seats for Coimbatore.
Citing lack of terminal facilities and pathway congestion, the railway administration has been turning down any demand for introduction of new train services, Coimbatore Consumer Cause secretary K. Kathirmathiyon said. Though the railway budget had let the Coimbatoreans down, they thought there would be some flicker of hope in the new railway time table. But that was not to be. Even the Coimbatore–Bangalore Intercity Express was extended up to Ernakulam first on a temporary basis, and after a couple of extensions, the service has been made permanent now.
But there is no assurance yet on the introduction of an overnight Express train to Bangalore.Citizens Voice Club secretary C.M. Jayaraman said while there was no objection for extending trains to other places, the railway administration, despite the revenue earned from Coimbatore, has been indifferent to the region. Coimbatore is home to many Keralites and there has been a long-pending demand for an overnight Express train either up to Thiruvananthapuram or Kanyakumari (via Kerala) to cater to tourists.
Those who travel back home to Kerala and those bound for Bangalore invariably depend on omni buses. Close to 45 omni buses ply to various destinations in Kerala and Bangalore collecting exorbitant fares. Coimbatore has been demanding an overnight Express train service to Tirupati, at least tri-weekly. But citing lack of terminal facilities at Tirupati, the railway administration has not conceded the demand.
This has forced devotees to travel by trains passing through Coimbatore or by road, lamented S. Vaidyanathakrishnan of the Coimbatore Railway Passengers Association. There is a need for another train on the Coimbatore-Chennai-Coimbatotre sector, given the large number of travellers on this route. But the railways, citing pathway congestion, has expressed its inability to introduce one more train. In the absence of these train services, Coimbatoreans would be left with no option but to rely only on omni buses, K. Ramakrishnan of Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam said.
