Meeting On “Coimbatore’s Railway Needs”
N.K. Chidambaram, former Member (Electrical), Railway Board, speaking at a meeting organised by Kural on ‘Coimbatore’s Railway Needs’. Lack of adequate railway infrastructure in the State is primarily due to lack of adequate political attention and pressure, said N.K. Chidambaram, former Member (Electrical), Railway Board, Government of India. He was speaking at a meeting organised by Kural – Voice of Coimbatore here on “Coimbatore’s Railway Needs”. Mr. Chidambaram said that the politicians in Kerala and Bihar paid undue attention for getting new trains and projects for their States. Unfortunately such a situation was not prevailing in Tamil Nadu, hence the State was lagging behind in terms of getting its railway needs fulfilled.
Though the number of passengers and revenue earnings from the Coimbatore Junction had been consistently growing unfortunately the infrastructure was not growing accordingly. There was a pertinent need for developing Podanur and Coimbatore North Junctions into satellite terminals for easing congestion at the Coimbatore Junction. There should be a strong railway network in terms of lines and trains connecting Coimbatore – Mettupalayam – Avanashi – Tirupur - Pollachi and Coimbatore so that pressure on road traffic could be eased considerably.
Coimbatore required direct overnight express train services to places such as Rameshwaram, Tirupati, Kolkatta, Tiruvananthapuram and New Delhi for ensuring better rail connectivity to accelerate the economic growth of this region. In addition, the entire stretch of platforms in Coimbatore should have roofs to protect the passengers from rain and shine. Similarly to handle peak hour rush, there should be additional ticket counters.
