With land acquisition to augment platforms at Ernakulam Junction and Town railway stations next to impossible, demand is rife to redevelop the unused Old Railway Station located behind the Kerala High Court and the underutilised Cochin Harbour Terminus station on Willingdon Island.
Passenger associations, NGOs, and others have been raising the demand for the past two decades. Among others, they have also been citing how only three of the six platforms at Ernakulam Junction can accommodate trains having 24 coaches. Likewise, they have been demanding more roof cover for all platforms at Ernakulam Junction and Town stations.
With Railway officials maintaining that yard and allied amenities ought to be improved Ernakulam Junction to extend the platforms, they say the Railways must work in tandem with the State government to restore train services to the two underutilised stations — one in the heart of the city and the other located around 8 km south of Ernakulam Junction.
