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The Thiruvananthapuram railway division has decided to base major train maintenance facilities in Nagercoil instead of expanding facilities at Nemom and Thiruvananthapuram North, Kochuveli. The move has led to changes in the planned maintenance infrastructure in the division.
Thiruvananthapuram Railway Division Shifts Train Maintenance
As part of the plan, the number of pit lines proposed at Nemom has been reduced from five to three. Pit lines are essential facilities where trains undergo maintenance and servicing. The decision to reduce the number of lines is linked to the plan to invest more in maintenance facilities at Nagercoil.
Why is the Change Carried Out?
The development has become significant amid growing demands to detach Nagercoil from the Thiruvananthapuram division and add it to the Madurai division. According to railway sources, such a move could affect Thiruvananthapuram's ability to operate express trains because many services are currently started from Nagercoil or Kanyakumari due to the lack of adequate maintenance facilities in Thiruvananthapuram and Thiruvananthapuram North.
The Thiruvananthapuram Central station is currently undergoing a redevelopment project worth Rs 450 crore. However, the railway is not adding new tracks or pit lines as part of the project. The maintenance yard at Thiruvananthapuram North is available, but there are no immediate plans to expand it. Any future expansion could also take considerable time.
A railway union official said that if Nagercoil is separated from the Thiruvananthapuram division and transferred to the Madurai division, Thiruvananthapuram could lose the ability to operate trains from its main station. The railway is also not planning to add more platforms at Thiruvananthapuram by removing existing maintenance lines.
Although Ernakulam has pit lines for train maintenance, railway sources said these facilities would not be sufficient to handle trains originating from Thiruvananthapuram.
The shift of maintenance facilities to Nagercoil could therefore have an important impact on the future operation of trains from Thiruvananthapuram, particularly if the proposed changes to railway divisions are taken forward.