Railways will soon float tenders for the Phase I works of the coaching terminal at Nemom, aimed at decongesting the busy Thiruvananthapuram Central, without waiting for the remaining land to be acquired by the government for the terminal.
The decision to kick off the project on the 12.14-hectare with Railways comes in view of the delay in acquiring the remaining land needed for the coaching terminal and doubling and electrification of the 47-km Eraniel-Neyyattinkara-Thiruvananthapuram Central corridor.
The decision to invite tenders for the works without getting the land from the State and approval for estimate is seen as part of the Union government’s desire to launch the project before the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.
“Instructions have been given to float tenders and to commence work this year itself as ₹77.3 crore has been earmarked in the 2018-19 budget for the initial works,” General Manager, Southern Railway, R.K. Kulshrestha told The Hindu on Wednesday.
As the 12.14 ha is in the shape of a triangle, another 28.33 ha has to be acquired for the terminal modelled initially on the lines of the Basin Bridge Coaching Depot in Chennai.
In the ₹93-crore Phase I, the Railways have proposed five stabling lines, two additional platforms and a shunting neck at Nemom. In the ₹226-crore Phase II, three stabling line, four pitlines, sick line and a power car shed had been proposed.
The existing mainline and loopline in Nemom has to be diverted to take up the Phase I works. For this, three Road Overbridges have to be built. These works will be taken up under the Chief Administrative Officer (Construction), Ernakulam.
As the estimate is yet to be approved, sources said the move is to link the terminal works with the ₹1,552.94-crore doubling and electrification of the 86.56-km Thiruvananthapuram-Kanyakumari line that commenced in January.
The focus at Nemom is on stabling lines as they can be used to shift the parked rakes from the Central station and use them for train operations.. A dedicated line is needed along the six km.
The General Manager said the coaching terminal was very important for Railways. Once the terminal was commissioned and doubling via Kottayam completed, more trains can be brought here, he said.
The premier station is handling two-and-a-half times its sanctioned capacity and the Thiruvananthapuram-Kochuveli line has become choked. The coaching facilities in Ernakulam and Nagercoil will give relief to us and improve train operations, he added.