KOCHI: History lies ignored at the Ernakulam Railway Goods Station, better known as Old Railway Station, situated beside the Kerala High Court. Though the railway station has a significant place in the history of Kochi as well as Kerala, as it was here that personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Lord Irwin (who was Viceroy of India from 1926 to 1931), Sir Robert Bristow (who played a pivotal role in making Kochi a key port) and others had set foot, those who were entrusted to protect it have left the station to rot.
The sprawling 22 acres of railway land, which once had a royal elegance associated with it, is now lying in a state of neglect and the dilapidated structures talk volumes about the laxity of the officials concerned in conserving it. The buildings, which were looked upon with awe by the common people once, are now overgrown by weeds and have turned a safe haven for anti-socials.
History, Memories Remain Buried
The station building, built by Rama Varma, who was the Maharaja of Cochin from 1895 to 1914, is of a distinct style and had many adjacent structures around it, including a rest house for royal members. The station, which once buzzed with passengers, was first converted into a goods unit and then a shunting yard. Later, it wound up its operations by 2000. Since then, the station has been left to decay.
Though many proposals for renovation, like turning the station into a ‘rail museum’, have come up, none turned into reality. Of the proposals, the one to convert the station into a passenger-centric one has received general acceptance, as it has all the potential to become a main station, considering that it will reduce the traffic at Ernakulam Junction railway station.
DEMU may be a Breathe of Fresh Air
The proposed DEMU service to be operated from Ernakulam Junction station to Aluva and Tripunithura has been welcomed warmly by the advocates of the Old Railway Station. According to Railways, for the DEMU service, they had plans to revive the Old Railway Station and Harbour Terminus railway station. While flagging off the DEMU service last month June, Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said that once the rejuvenation works at these stations are completed, the DEMU will start rolling. He also promised that the works will be completed in a time-bound manner. However, the promise has remained a promise as works in this regard are yet to start at Old Railway Station.
When contacted, the Railway authorities said that though some official teams from Thiruvananthapuram had visited the site and had prepared an estimate, they were yet to finalise it.
When Express contacted the senior officers of the Southern Railway, they said that restoration works will be started immediately and added that deliberations in this regard were on at the higher level. When asked whether they had finalised any estimates, the officials said that as many formalities, including approval, were yet to be received, they hadn’t zeroed in on any of the proposals or estimates.
