The Hindu Business Line : Peelamedu station to have ticket reservation counter

THE Union Minister of State for Railways, Mr R. Velu, has asked the department to open a reservation counter at Peelamedu in Coimbatore for the benefit of the people living in some of the peripheral areas of the city.

He has also sought to address the concern of the people here about the diversion of the Chennai-Mangalore-Chennai West Coast Express via Podanur by pointing out that the Railways has rescheduled the timing of the Tiruchi-Mangalore express to the earlier timings of the West Coast express towards Mangalore so that the public do not lose a convenient connection to Mangalore from here. The Tiruchi-Mangalore express now comes to Coimbatore at 7.45 p.m. and leaves at 7.50 p.m., which is almost identical to the earlier timings of Chennai-Mangalore West Coast Express.

Speaking to Business Line here from New Delhi on Wednesday night, the Minister referred to the demand made at the news conference in Coimbatore the previous day about the need for opening a ticket reservation counter at Peelamedu. The Tiruchi-Mangalore express now comes to Coimbatore at 7.45 p.m. and leaves at 7.50 p.m., which is almost identical to the earlier timings of Chennai-Mangalore West Coast Express.

Asked about providing a halt at Peelamedu for trains coming from Chennai/Bangalore side, the Minister said that he has asked the railway authorities to examine the issue. This is also a much-felt need because of fast development of the peripheral areas of the town.

The Minister said the total cost of various railway projects proposed for Coimbatore area, including the Coimbatore-Irugur track doubling work, amounted to about Rs 72 crore. Of this, the value of works completed/under progress was around Rs 25 crore. Work for the establishment of a food plaza is on in Coimbatore station while the food plaza at Tiruchi station is to be inaugurated on October 15.

Once the track doubling work between Dindigul and Madurai stations is completed, the request for running an over-night train on the Coimbatore- Tirunelveli sector would be considered. He said after the line improvement in Coimbatore station was over by March next, the Railways would examine the possibility of an over-night train service to Thiruvananthapuram from here.