Coimbatore Junction to get 700-cr makeover:
The Southern Railway is preparing a 700 crore detailed project report (DPR) to upgrade the Coimbatore Junction.
Southern Railway officials convened a meeting through video conferencing with Coimbatore collector Kranthi Kumar Pati, corporation commissioner M Prathap, police commissioner V Balakrishnan and deputy commissioner of police N Mathivanan on Thursday to discuss the plan.
A consultant is preparing the DPR, the collector said. “There is no plan to acquire land for the project . Instead, new vertical buildings will be constructed.” Multi-storey buildings will be constructed as part of the project, an official said. “They will have shopping complexes and modern amenities. Commuters can visit the shops while waiting for trains. The buildings will be air-conditioned and advanced equipment will be procured for luggage scanning.”
Presently, the State Bank Road, near the railway station, witnesses heavy traffic congestion as thousands of commuters use trains. The traffic police are not able to control the crowd. Police urged railway officials to allow government and private buses to drop commuters at the entrance of the proposed facility. However, a railway official said they lack enough space. Instead, an escalator will be set up between the bus stop opposite the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) and the railway station for the benefit of bus passengers,” the official told.
Meanwhile, the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has submitted a DPR to the government to execute the metro rail project at two corridors in Coimbatore city, the official revealed. “The collector advised the Southern Railway and CMRL officials to discuss the plan before implementing the metro rail project. Metro rail should be connected to the Coimbatore Junction to allow train passengers to use the facility effectively.”
Balakrishnan said the private consultant should visit the city to assess the ground situation with city police and other departments. Railway officials should organise a public hearing before executing the project, Mathivanan added.
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