Travelling public in Pollachi pitch for convenient connectivity to Chennai, Bengaluru

Travelling public in Pollachi, while thanking the Railways for upgrading the railway junction with modern passenger facilities under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS), have voiced their demand for fulfilment of vital demands pertaining to the Coimbatore-Pollachi and Pollachi-Palakkad/Dindigul sections.

Though classified by the Central Government in 2020 as the ‘Town of Excellence for Coir and Coir Products’, the current train services are inadequate despite the huge potential for travel related to trade as well as spirituality and tourism, M.K.G. Anandakumar, Member, Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee, said.

“There is no direct regular train service between Palani/Pollachi and Chennai Tambaram/Egmore, or to parts of North Tamil Nadu and the Cauvery delta districts comprising nine districts of the state. Thousands of governments and private employees (especially lT professionals) from the Pollachi region work in Chennai -Tambaram and Chengalpattu areas of South Chennai,” Mr. Anandakumar, who is also the vice-president of Pollachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said in a petition submitted to the Divisional Railway Manager, Palakkad Division.

Highlighting the difficulties arising due to nearly two-hour travel duration of the Pollachi-Coimbatore passenger daily train (that departs at 8.55 p.m. and reaches Coimbatore at 10.50 p.m.) for covering 46 km, the petition said the hassles of the passengers of the Tiruchendur-Palakkad unreserved express (Train no. 16732 reaching at 7.58 p.m.) bound for Coimbatore could be obviated if the Pollachi-Coimbatore passenger daily train is operated at 8.15 p.m. with a travel duration of 50 to 60 minutes. Passengers alighting from the Tiruchendur-Palakkad Unreserved Express find themselves in a difficult situation of travelling by buses to Kinathukadavu, Podanur and Coimbatore.

Effecting a change in the departure timing of the Pollachi-Coimbatore passenger daily train will also enable passengers from Pollachi and Kinathukadavu, particularly elders, patients, women, children and physically-challenged passengers, to board trains bound for Chennai and Bengaluru from Coimbatore and Podanur Junctions with departure timings from 9.35 p.m. onwards, Mr. Anandakumar said.