COIMBATORE: The Pollachi-Coimbatore morning train could be extended up to Mettupalayam soon after the completion of infrastructural development works at the latter station, said railway officials.
S Basha, a resident of Ramappa Road in Mettupalayam and general secretary of CITU, had requested the Railways to extend the service to Mettupalayam for the benefit of the residents of Pollachi and Mettupalayam.
He has sent petitions to the Public Grievances Cell of the Salem Division.
The Railway, in a reply, stated that the proposal is not feasible currently due to development works being carried out at the Mettupalayam station. Also, the Mettupalayam-Shoranur service could be restored once these works are over.
M Vasudevan, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (SDCM) of Salem Railway Division, in another reply, said introduction of long-distance trains from Mettupalayam to Bangalore and Mettupalayam to Kerala are under consideration since no trains are being operated after the departure of the Mettupalayam-Chennai train at 9.10 pm (Nilgiri Express).
"The Mettupalayam station looks deserted after the departure of Nilgiri Express as there is no more train service. If trains reaching Coimbatore railway station could be diverted to Mettupalayam, people in and around Mettupalayam who rely on bus services will benefit," said Basha.
The Railways has also turned down Basha's request to increase the frequency of the Mettupalayam-Coimbatore MEMU passenger from five to seven.
Basha alleged that Railway officials had not given complete answers to his queries though the questions were related to the welfare of the common passengers.
On the request for doubling the section between Coimbatore North and Mettupalayam, the officials replied: The line utilisation capacity for Coimbatore North Junction and Mettupalayam section in 2024 to 2025 was 56.5%. The proposal may be considered once this value is sufficiently high," said Basha.
It was also informed that a proposal on constructing a Rail Over Bridge (ROB) at Shanthi Nagar is yet to be received from the Mettupalayam Municipality or the state government. It was earlier reported that motorists have to wait for more than half an hour at the Kattoor railway gate.
Basha also said that the Railways has agreed to clear the bushes at the Mettupalayam railway station and to hold inspection to ensure the contractor is collecting fees at the parking lot as per norms.