COIMBATORE: Residents of Mettupalayam demanded the Railways and the state government to set up a railway overbridge (ROB) at Shanthi Nagar area to reduce the long waiting period at the railway gate in Kattoor especially during the peak hours.
According to Habibulla, a resident of Kattoor, "The residents including office-goers are forced to wait for more than half an hour at the railway gate. We understand that the Mettupalayam to Udhagamandalam train on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) travels slowly. However, the gatekeeper locks the gate long before the arrival of the train."
The departure time of the train heading to Coonoor and Udhagamandalam from the Mettupalayam railway station is 7 am, but the gate is locked at 6:45 am and it opens only at 7.15 am. If the trains departs from Mettupalayam late, we have to wait till 7.30 am or more, he added.
Kattoor is within 250 metres from the Mettupalayam station.
He suggested the construction of an ROB at Shanthi Nagar to avoid the current ordeal faced by the public.
"Until the ROB opens, the authorities should consider closing the gate only for a lesser time. Long wait at the gate during morning and evening peak hours is distressing. Even ambulances are stuck if the gate closes for train operation," said Basha, who had also sent a petition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding this.
In his petition he had also sought better facilities at the Mettupalayam railway station and additional coaches for the Mettupalayam-Coimbatore MEMU passenger train.
"Currently, this MEMU train is running with eight coaches. However, this is not enough as students, officer-goers and those visiting the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital from Sirumugai, Mettupalayam and Karamadai are forced to travel on crowded coaches. Some days, many passengers travel on footboard. The Railways should provide four additional coaches to cater to the rising number of the passengers," said Basha while also citing that bus travel between Mettupalayam and Coimbatore takes more time and costs more.
Moreover, doubling the Coimbatore to Mettupalayam railway line along with introducing night trains to various destinations are also the need of the hour, the residents stated.
"The existing single-line track between Mettupalayam and Coimbatore causes frequent delays as trains are held up for crossings. This severely restricts punctuality and limits the introduction of new services. Only two express trains operate on this stretch. More trains including passenger and express trains can be introduced with the doubling of tracks," said Maheswari who often travels to Coimbatore for work from Mettupalayam.
Considering that the station already has adequate land availability and basic infrastructure, night-time train services should be introduced from Mettupalayam to Bengaluru, Kerala, and northern districts of Tamil Nadu, she suggested.