COIMBATORE: As part of redevelopment of Coimbatore North railway station under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS), the Salem Railway Division is planning to shift the existing goods shed at the station to Thudiyalur. The move is expected to create additional space at Coimbatore North and facilitate the planned passenger-oriented redevelopment of the station.Salem divisional railway Manager Panna Lal inspected the ongoing ABSS work at Coimbatore North on Friday along with Coimbatore MP Ganapathy P Rajkumar. During the inspection, the DRM told TOI that the railway had submitted a Rs 15crore proposal to shift the goods shed from Coimbatore North to Thudiyalur railway station.He said, “Though Irugur goods shed is active, it requires improvement. In that case, shifting this to Irugur will create congestion. So, it is ideal to shift to Thudiyalur, which has space and better connectivity.”The proposed relocation of the goods shed to Thudiyalur will require approval and subsequent execution of the proposed infrastructure work.Addressing the media, the Coimbatore MP said, “The ABSS work is almost nearing completion, and we have urged the railway officials to expedite it. We are constantly pushing forth the demand for more train stoppages at Coimbatore North. Accordingly, the railway plans to originate some trains moving to southern districts from Coimbatore North and trains to Kerala from Podanur. An entry from the Mettupalayam road has been planned and soon be facilitated. This requires shifting of the good shed.”Coimbatore North is among the 77 railway stations in Tamil Nadu identified under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, which envisages improvements to station buildings, platforms, circulating areas, waiting facilities, passenger access, toilets, lifts and escalators, among other amenities. The redevelopment of the Coimbatore North station is being carried out at a total cost of Rs 11.5 crore.
