PALAKKAD: The transfer of the Mangaluru railway area from the Palakkad division to the Mysuru division could open a new chapter for the Palakkad division, provided the railway authorities and people’s representatives use the change to push for projects aimed at strengthening its infrastructure within Kerala, according to retired railway officials and transport experts.
They said the reorganisation should not be viewed merely as a loss of the Mangaluru area, but as an opportunity to redraw the development priorities of the Palakkad division and build it into a stronger operational base. Several projects are already in the pipeline in Palakkad. Work on the first pitline at Palakkad Town is nearing completion, while a second pitline has also been sanctioned. The division also has substantial railway land available in Palakkad, Shoranur, Bekal and Uppala, which could be utilised for future operational and passenger-oriented projects.
“Now the division has to prepare a clear project roadmap and aggressively pursue its implementation. Immediate effort should be to find a strategically suitable location and construct a coaching depot with pitline, Brake Power Certificate (BPC), watering stations, etc.
The elected representatives and the state government should complement the efforts of the railway authorities by taking up these proposals with the Railway Board and ensuring that sanctioned projects are executed within the stipulated time,” said a former railway top-level official.
“The key is to convert the change in jurisdiction into a development strategy. If the railway division prepares technically sound projects and the MPs and the state government jointly pursue them with the Railway Board, Palakkad can emerge as a stronger railway hub,” he added.
Experts pointed out that the restructuring could also mean that a larger share of the division’s future development expenditure is directed towards infrastructure in Kerala. In recent years, several projects under the Palakkad division were linked to the Mangaluru region, which contributed significantly to the division’s revenue importance. The immediate priority, according to railway observers, should be to develop either Palakkad or Kumbla as a full-fledged coaching depot.
Such a facility should have modern pitline infrastructure, along with a Brake Power Certificate facility, enabling trains to undergo necessary certification locally. “Both the divisional officers and the politicians alike should push for such projects instead of demanding stops at relatively smaller stations,” he said. A senior official from the Palakkad division said that a full-fledged coaching depot would strengthen the division’s ability to originate, terminate, maintain and operate more passenger services without depending heavily on facilities outside the state.
“It could also provide the infrastructure needed to introduce new services and improve the maintenance of existing trains. The availability of railway land at strategic locations could further help the division develop maintenance facilities, stabling lines, passenger amenities and other operational infrastructure without the difficulties associated with acquiring new land,” he said.
