Coimbatore NXT seeks major railway upgrades

Coimbatore NXT has urged Southern Railway to accelerate railway infrastructure development in Coimbatore, seeking additional train services, improved passenger amenities and stronger suburban connectivity.
A delegation led by Vanitha Mohan, Vice Chairman of Kongu Global Forum, met the General Manager of Southern Railway and the Divisional Railway Manager of Salem Division at Coimbatore Junction on Friday to press for the proposed improvements.
The delegation included Dorairaj, President of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Naushad, Chairman of CII; Balasubramanian, President of RAAC; Sathish, Trustee of Siruthuli; and Dileep, representing the Customs Brokers and Shipping Agents Association. Sanjana Vijaykumar and Natarajan, Vice Presidents of ICCIC; D. Balasundaram, Past President of ICCIC; Pradeep, Secretary of ICCIC; and Chandrasekhar, a Siruthuli steering committee member, were also present.
The delegation stressed that Coimbatore Junction, a major revenue-generating station for Southern Railway, had long awaited significant infrastructure improvements.
Key demands included increasing the coach capacity of the Coimbatore–Chennai Vande Bharat Express, introducing a Coimbatore–Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat service, restoring direct connectivity to southern Tamil Nadu districts and rerouting trains that currently bypass Coimbatore Junction.
The delegation also sought additional infrastructure and facilities for simultaneous train operations at Coimbatore Junction, faster development of the Coimbatore South–Podanur section, and additional island platforms and terminal status for Coimbatore North Junction. Improved platforms and passenger amenities at Irugur, Singanallur, Kinathukadavu, Peelamedu and other suburban stations were among the other demands. The delegation also called for stronger circular suburban rail connectivity linking Coimbatore with Tiruppur, Pollachi and Palakkad.
The delegation proposed large-scale planting of native trees on railway land and around stations in partnership with Siruthuli to expand green cover.
The Southern Railway General Manager and Salem Divisional Railway Manager heard the representations and assured the delegation that the proposals would be examined. The discussions highlighted coach-capacity expansion on the Coimbatore–Chennai Vande Bharat Express, a proposed Coimbatore–Thiruvananthapuram service, rerouting trains to serve Coimbatore Junction, additional island platforms at Coimbatore North and railway land for plantation. Coimbatore NXT welcomed the response and expressed hope that cooperation among railway authorities, industry bodies, civic organisations and passenger associations would speed up railway development in the region. The organisation said modern rail infrastructure was essential to Coimbatore’s economic growth, passenger convenience and sustainable urban development.