KOCHI: The Cochin Harbour Terminus has a rich history of providing rail connectivity to the southern segment of the Kochi Port located on the Willingdon Island. It used to handle goods transport in and out of the Kochi Port. But after the commissioning of the Vallarpadam Container Terminus, the railway station fell into disuse and all train service to the station from Ernakulam Junction was stopped in 2013.
Various factors led to the downfall of the terminus
Shifting of Base station:
Cochin Harbour Terminus Railway Station suffered a major setback in 1978 when Thiruvananthapuram was selected over Kochi as the base station of Southern India Railways, in spite of protests and uproar in the Parliament. This contributed heavily to the sidelining of this station.The opening of new stations Ernakulam Junction and Ernakulam Town: When the new stations, Ernakulam Junction and Ernakulam Town were inaugurated most of the passenger trains got diverted and thereby passenger patronage decreased.
Rail link extensions to Thiruvananthapuram and Alappuzha:
As the rail link connecting to Trivandrum Central via Kottayam and Ernakulam-Kayamkulam coastal railway line via Alappuzha was completed many trains were diverted from Cochin Harbour Terminus to Trivandrum Central. Remaining trains were diverted to Ernakulam Junction. The shifting of train routes started in 1991, when the Cochin-Madras Express, was extended to Alappuzha.
The objection of Navy in the electrification of the line:
In 1996 the Railways charted out the electrification route and decided to make this terminus the focal point. But the Navy and the Civil Aviation Department objected due to the risks posed. According to them, the electric lines would be a danger to the incoming and ongoing flights at the airport. Electrification was thus done only till the Ernakulam Junction. The six-kilometre route from Ernakulam to Island was thereby left out and remained unelectrified. Also, there has been no passenger services through the Harbour Terminus for over a decade after a dredger hit the Venduruthy Bridge in 2004.