After long delays and red tape, railway authorities will start services to Ernakulam Railway Goods (ERG) station (known as the old railway station) and Cochin Harbour Terminus Station (CHTS) in four months.
While, initially , services will be run to transport goods, passenger trains will follow, strengthening the suburban rail network.
Railway authorities have asked the civic body to remove encroachments en route to these stations.
During his interaction with Thiruvananthapuram railway division authorities last week in the state capital, Union minister of state for railways Manoj Sinha said the goods traffic on the Ernakulam-ERG and ErnakulamCHTS routes will start in four months.
Ashok K Agarwal, general manager of the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, who was in the city last week, said that six diesel electric multiple unit (Demu) rakes would be ready over the next few months, and added that it was “the ideal time for Thiruvananthapuram division to demand at least two rakes“.
Senior officials with the division said that the railway track to CHTS was ready , and promised to complete the pending signal and civil engineering works in a few months.
But the track to ERG station has been encroached by local residents.
“The Kochi corporation authorities had promised that they would immediately clear encroachments and promised Rs 7.5 crore -half the total expense to revive the old station -at the earliest. Both promises are still on paper.Even if the service to ERG is delayed, we are hopeful of starting services to CHTS in four months as mentioned by the minister,“ said a source with the civil engineering department.
Meanwhile, corporation sources said that the administration was hopeful in clearing encroachments as the new council has taken charge.
In June, railway minister Suresh Prabhu had flagged off the local area service connectiong Ernakulam, Aluva and Tripunithura. The minister had then promised to complete the electrification of the tracks to CHTS and ERG station in a year.
Though, authorities later clarified that the electrifica tion of tracks would take more time, they had planned to start passenger and goods services to both these stations this year itself.
(Shyam.P.V, Times of India dt 19-11-2015)
While, initially , services will be run to transport goods, passenger trains will follow, strengthening the suburban rail network.
Railway authorities have asked the civic body to remove encroachments en route to these stations.
During his interaction with Thiruvananthapuram railway division authorities last week in the state capital, Union minister of state for railways Manoj Sinha said the goods traffic on the Ernakulam-ERG and ErnakulamCHTS routes will start in four months.
Ashok K Agarwal, general manager of the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, who was in the city last week, said that six diesel electric multiple unit (Demu) rakes would be ready over the next few months, and added that it was “the ideal time for Thiruvananthapuram division to demand at least two rakes“.
Senior officials with the division said that the railway track to CHTS was ready , and promised to complete the pending signal and civil engineering works in a few months.
But the track to ERG station has been encroached by local residents.
“The Kochi corporation authorities had promised that they would immediately clear encroachments and promised Rs 7.5 crore -half the total expense to revive the old station -at the earliest. Both promises are still on paper.Even if the service to ERG is delayed, we are hopeful of starting services to CHTS in four months as mentioned by the minister,“ said a source with the civil engineering department.
Meanwhile, corporation sources said that the administration was hopeful in clearing encroachments as the new council has taken charge.
In June, railway minister Suresh Prabhu had flagged off the local area service connectiong Ernakulam, Aluva and Tripunithura. The minister had then promised to complete the electrification of the tracks to CHTS and ERG station in a year.
Though, authorities later clarified that the electrifica tion of tracks would take more time, they had planned to start passenger and goods services to both these stations this year itself.
(Shyam.P.V, Times of India dt 19-11-2015)
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