Kochi: To tackle growing traffic congestion and boost local connectivity, the railways plan to set up a new Rs 267 crore coaching terminal at Ernakulam’s Ponnurunni marshalling yard. The state railway construction wing submitted a detailed project report (DPR) to the Thiruvananthapuram division, which will be sent to the Railway Board for final approval.
“We’ve submitted the DPR, which requires a few corrections. We will carry out the same and submit a revised one this week,” said a senior official of the construction wing in Ernakulam.
Presently, railway operations in the region rely on two main stations: Ernakulam Junction (South) with six platforms and Ernakulam Town (North) with two. While both are undergoing modern redevelopments, they lack the space to add new tracks or platforms. As a result, incoming trains are routinely held up on the outskirts of the city, waiting for an open platform.
“The DPR proposes to expand the terminal’s capacity to six platforms, up from an earlier estimate of four, with the structural space to scale up to 15 platforms in the future as the rail network grows,” the official said.
Besides the yard, the terminal will also serve as a crucial rolling stock care facility. It will feature three stabling lines to park idle trains, three pit lines for coach maintenance and mechanical safety inspections. Two of the three pit lines will be specifically equipped to maintain the semi-high-speed Vande Bharat trains.
By offloading daily cleaning and technical inspections from the main stations to Ponnurunni, the railways hope to minimise train delays and introduce new regional and long-distance train services. Once the Railway Board gives the nod, construction is expected to move quickly, with the terminal targeted to be fully operational within three years.
