At least 10 railway stations in Tamil Nadu have found place in the first phase of the redevelopment programme, including four in northern Tamil Nadu. south and two in central Tamil Nadu. In an RTI reply from the ministry on October 18, 163 stations were shortlisted for renovation in the first phase of the redevelopment programme.
RTI applicant Ramakrishnan KS, director of Kongu Railway Development Council, said that Coimbatore Junction is in dire need of renovation. “The station ranks second in terms of generating freight revenue after Chennai. Still, it was not included in the first phase of the redevelopment programme,” he told TOI. Ramakrishnan said the high-income stations namely Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Pollachi, Mettupalayam, Coonoor, Ooty, Erode, Salem, Mettur, Hosur, Dharmapuri, Karur, Namakkal, Palani and Udumalpet were neglected.
“Eight stations were selected for redevelopment in Kerala. The program is being implemented every 130 km in the neighboring state. While in Kerala, with a length of 1,047 km, six railway stations are listed for redevelopment, in Tamil Nadu, with a route length of 5,453 km, only 10 stations are listed. And, there is not a single station listed in western Tamil Nadu, which has a length of 1,385 km.
Divisional Rail Users Advisory Committee (DRUCC) member K Jayaraj alleged uneven development of stations in western districts. “The facilities at Coimbatore station and other stations in western districts should be upgraded for the benefit of the passengers. Kerala, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have come forward to develop some stations with free additional land and 50% cost sharing. The state government, like other states, should contribute funds for the redevelopment of some stations in western Tamil Nadu.
Acquisition of land at Coimbatore station and creation of a circulating area for passengers and augmentation of facilities.” Meanwhile, railway officials expressed confidence that the Coimbatore Junction would be renovated under Public-Private Partnership (PPP). Salem Divisional Railway Manager Gautam Srinivas told TOI, “The station will be renovated after the Southern Railway appoints a consultant.”
The Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) had conducted a feasibility study for preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for eight stations, namely Purachi Thalaivar Dr MG Ramachandran Central, Tambaram, Avadi, Coimbatore Junction, Thiruvananthapuram Central, Varkala, Kozhikode and Mangalore. Includes Central. Karnataka, a senior official said.