THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Union Minister of State for Railways and Jal Shakti V Somanna inspected the facilities and development work at Thiruvananthapuram Central and South railway stations as part of his visit to the state capital on Tuesday.
Reviewing the work at the Central station, he told the officials to complete the redevelopment work within two years and advised that time overruns should be avoided and modern methods used for speedier construction.
He inspected the Vande Bharat Express at the station, interacted with passengers and appreciated the team for the cleanliness and maintenance standards of the station.
He later addressed a public gathering at the South (Nemom) railway station and said that the station should be developed as a major hub to decongest Thiruvananthapuram Central station. He stressed that improving the terminal facilities at Nemom would greatly benefit operational efficiency in the region.
He directed that long-term traffic needs be assessed and detailed planning be done. The minister appreciated the efforts to provide connectivity from the national highway to the railway station at Thiruvananthapuram Central as part of the ongoing work. He also interacted with patients and staff at the Divisional Railway Hospital.
Manish Thaplyal, divisional railway manager, Thiruvananthapuram division, Shaji Zachariah, chief administrative officer, construction organisation, Southern Railway and Shobha Jasmine, Chief Medical Superintendent Divisional Railway Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram Pettah, were present.