CHENNAI: The Southern Railway has floated a tender for the construction of a new coach terminal yard (railway facility for maintenance of coaches) at Podanur Junction. The work duration is one year, according to the tender.
A senior SR official listed the details of the project, "The proposed budget is around Rs 100 crore and will be taken by the construction department." Another official with the Salem division said, "One of the important facilities in the project is the pit lines (maintenance track with a shallow, covered pit that allows staff to access the undersides of train coaches for cleaning, inspection, and minor repairs) that would help in the maintenance of trains."
The terminal yard is expected to decongest the terminal, and new passenger amenities would also bring in a boost for the local economy. The station is also undergoing works at Rs 23 crore under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.
Currently, Coimbatore Junction is the first terminal in Coimbatore, and the Podanur Junction comes under the Non Suburban Grade (NSG) 4 category (earnings between Rs 10 crore to Rs 20 crore) stations. Both fall under the Salem division.