The upgraded Kollam railway station is scheduled to be commissioned in 2025 and the first phase will be completed by January 2024, N.K. Premachandran, MP, has said after a high-level meeting convened by Southern Railway general manager in Chennai.
According to the chief administrative officer in charge of the project, the construction works are progressing at a fast pace and the project is expected to be completed six months ahead of the schedule. The Phase 1 work of the Southern Railway Training Institute to be established at the Kollam railway station is also progressing rapidly.
LHB coaches
The contract for the construction of MEMU shed at Kollam railway station has been awarded. The shed will be equipped with facilities to carry out maintenance works of MEMU trains with 20 rakes. The steps to replace the old coaches with LHB coaches in the trains operating on the Kollam-Shencottah route are progressing steadily.
A proposal to extend the Punalur-Guruvayur Express up to Madurai and attach a vistadome coach to it has been submitted to the Railway Board. Accepting the request to allow stoppage at Kollam for the Tirunelveli-Gandhidham Humsafar Express, Southern Railway has recommended it for the approval of the Railway Board. The demand to increase the number of coaches operating on the Punalur-Shencottah ghat section after electrification is being examined.
Punalur railway station
Steps have been taken for the development of Punalur railway station by including it in the Amrit Bharat Station scheme, Ministry of Railways’ new scheme for the modernization of stations. While technical inspection has been carried out to construct a third platform, lifts will be installed at first and second platforms. To set up the facility for filling water in the bogies, ₹1.45 crore will be spent. The works will be completed by August. Punalur-Shencottah electrification is currently progressing on the Bhagavathipuram-Edamon route and the work will be completed by December 2023.
All the procedures have been completed to operate Ernakulam-Velankanni-Ernakulam special service as a bi-weekly regular express. While a foot-over-bridge will be constructed at Kilikollur railway station spending ₹1.20 crore, works of the first and second platforms will be completed by September.
Construction works worth ₹2.50 crore has been sanctioned for the development of platforms at Chandanathope, Thenmala, Edamon, Kazhuthurutty, Edapalayam, Aryankav, and New Aryankav stations. The general manager also said that the Ministry of Railways is taking measures to restore the stops at Aryankavu, Thenmala, Kundara, Perinadu, Mayyanad, and Paravur stations in a phased manner.
