Campaign to develop old railway station

KOCHI: The Kochi Vikasana Samiti has finalised a memorandum to be presented to the Union Railway Minister asking to convert the Old Railway Station near High Court, which is  lying unused, to a suburban passenger station.The memorandum will be presented to the Minister who will visit the state on September 19. The Samiti said that if the old station could be reconverted into a local station, the traffic in the city could be lightened as the traffic from the North and South railway stations will be reduced, significantly. Daily commuters travelling to offices within the city would also benefit.Chairman M R Rajandran Nair said: “If we re-develop the station and introduce MEMU service, it would be extremely beneficial as people can easily reach the city. There is no need of any land acquisition, as the land and rails are already available. The service is opened connecting trains linking Ernakulam to Thrissur, Palakkad, Alappuzha and Kottayam, the passengers can travel at a much lower rate.” The land available near the station is government land and can be easily acquired,if needed, the Samiti said.The Old Railway Station built in the year 1902 was functioning as a goods station till 2000. When another goods shed opened in Ernakulam, the 22-acre railway station  became a complete waste land. The station developed by Raja Varma, the Maharaja of Kochi in 1902, has historical importance too. Mahatma Gandhi had come to Kerala via this station. As the city and its suburbs grow, the traffic is bound to increase manifold,the Samiti said.