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Blog Entry# 2043935
Posted: Nov 01 2016 (11:57)
5 Responses
Last Response: Nov 01 2016 (14:30)
5 Responses
Last Response: Nov 01 2016 (14:30)
Once, this was the main railway station in Kochi city, and was the starting point of all trains from Kochi. But now, no one is looking towards this station, and it has just become a station for goods trains. Now, all trains start from Ernakulam Junction (South), which is congested now. Also, people living in Fort Kochi and Mattanchery have to travel at least 10 kms for reaching there. Thus, it is needed to develop this station. Though there are plans to develop this station, it should be much more better, especially for the famous tourist spots like Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary, Mattanchery synagogue, etc.
This was the destination for the old Mumbai-CHTS Netravati Express. This station is now closed to passenger traffic. i think more developed areas in Ernakulam/ cochin are nearer to ERS / ERN, especially places like, Idappalli, MG road, nedumbassery
The main problem for this station is that the Indian Navy has not given permission for electrification of the line and the bridge. This means that a loco change would be required at ERS for barely 10km of final run. Even when the new Vendurthy bridge was commissioned, SR cited lack of patronage on this route in addition to the Navy's lack of permission as reasons for not introducing passenger trains on this route.
CHTS should be used to decongest ERS during peak hours. If they just extend ERS - SRR passenger to CHTS, the availability of platforms will improve @ ERS during the evenings between 1630 & 1730.
The railway alignment runs along the perimeter of the Naval air base. Placing OHE equipment so close to the runways is usually forbidden. Especially, this is a military base and air craft tend to have faster and low altitude take-offs compared to commercial planes. And hence the Navy has not granted permission for electrification. A similar thing has happened in AJJ also where SR was forced to consider an alternative alignment to avoid the naval base there.