THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The capital city has nothing to cheer about the Railway Budget announced on Wednesday despite the Yaswantpur-Kochuveli Express train and the repeated claim of survey for a coach terminal at Nemom.
The much-awaited elevation of the Thiruvananthapuram Central station to international standards did not find even a mention in the budget, let alone new projects. The State had demanded steps for developing the Nemom and Kochuveli terminals to reduce traffic at the Central station. It was also requested to set up five new lines at Kochuveli to divert the traffic from the Central station.
The budget also did not address the parking woes at the Central station. The State Government had requested the Railways to set up a multi-level parking facility at the Central. The demand for a direct train from Thiruvananthapuram to Mumbai also did not materialise.
Curious Omissions
The Railway Medical College in Thiruvananthapuram, a budget announcement since 2007, was, however, not repeated this time. Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi, during his last visit to the city, had also promised that the budget would have an allocation for the medical college. The water bottling plant, an earlier announcement for the capital, also did not find a mention in the budget.