The proposal to set up a coaching maintenance depot at Nemom near the state capital has hit a rough patch with the Railways maintaining that only ‘’a very limited’’ facility can be set up there due to ‘’geographical constraints.’’
However, a similar project in Kanyakumari in neighbouring Tamil Nadu has got the thumbs up from the Railways. The terminal at Nemom had been mooted a few years ago taking into account the lack of platforms to handle trains at Thiruvananthapuram Central and the satellite terminal at Kochuveli. The project had found mention in the Railway budgets of 2008 and 2011.
‘’The proposals to set up coaching maintenance depots at Nemom and Kanyakumari were considered by Railways at various levels. We are of the view that only a limited facility is possible in Nemom due to geographical constraints and problems related to land acquisition,’’ Thiruvananthapuram Divisional Railway Manager Rajesh Agrawal told Express. Elaborating on the geographical constraints, Agrawal said land for the maintenance yard should ideally be parallel to the existing track. In the case of Nemom, most of the land is perpendicular to the existing track. Besides, the land proposed for the project does not belong to the Railways and needs to be acquired, he said. The DRM said at the most, only a ‘’very limited facility’’ can come up at Nemom. ‘’However, it is the (Railway) Board which has to take a final decision,’’ Agrawal said.
In the case of the proposed Kanyakumari coaching maintenance depot, the land for the project belongs to the Railways and it is ‘’geographically more suitable,’’ he said. ‘’Kanyakumari is located at a convenient location and it can serve both Thiruvananthapuram and Madurai divisions,’’ Agrawal said. However, the DRM said the proposed projects at Nemom and Kanyakumari should not be linked. ‘’The development of one project is not at the expense of the other,’’ he said, denying reports that the Nemom unit is being shifted to Kanyakumari.
The coach yard at Kochuveli will be ‘’100 per cent complete’’ this year itself, he said, adding that 15 new trains to the state capital could become a reality due to the commissioning of the Kochuveli yard and terminal. Reacting to the development, former Minister in charge of Railways in the state, M Vijayakumar, said the “indifference’’ of the Union Ministers from Kerala was responsible for such a move. “The Central ministers from Kerala should urgently intervene in the issue,’’ he said, adding that people should launch a huge protest against the move by the Railways.