Railways will work closely with Kerala and Tamil Nadu to build rail infrastructure as the utility has not invested enough in these States, Union Minister for Railways Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has said.
Commissioning eight railway initiatives under the Thiruvananthapuram and Palakkad divisions in the State via videoconferencing from Rail Bhavan in New Delhi on Saturday, Mr. Prabhu said the focus was on providing better passenger amenities and augmenting capacity. There had been a considerable increase in allocation for building infrastructure in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
The Union Cabinet had approved doubling and electrification of the 86.56-km Thiruvananthapuram Central- Kanyakumari, the 160-km stretch from Madurai Junction to Thoothukudi, and the 102-km line from Vanchi Maniyachi to Nagercoil Junction, he said.
Functions were held at the Thiruvananthapuram Central, Ernakulam Junction, and Kannur stations to dedicate the facilities to the nation.
Among the initiatives commissioned is the longest footover bridge (FOB) of Railways in the State. The 143-metre-long and three-metre-wide bridge, constructed at a cost of ₹2.5 crore, will link the old Kochuveli station, Kochuveli terminal, four platforms, and the yard.
The 7.94-km double line between Thiruvalla and Changanassery commissioned on March 28 was dedicated to the nation. Two additional lines with full rake unloading facility and a platform with 26 coach capacity were also commissioned along with the work at Thiruvalla.
The AC paid waiting rooms at Thiruvananthapuram Central, to be run with the help of Kudumbasree, and 10 concrete benches costing ₹10 lakh at Kollam Junction, funded by Suresh Gopi, MP, were also inaugurated.
Passenger lifts costing ₹37 lakh at Chengannur and Ernakulam Junction, IRCTC’s water vending machines at Aluva, Ernakulam Junction, Ernakulam Town, and two passenger lifts at the Kannur station were also inaugurated.