@Biplab Nayak*: Re# 147989-0
Cochin Harbour Terminus as of now is closed.No passenger trains operate.The Cochin goods adjacent to it is still operational is an important means of revenue.Passenger service existed till 2004 in the form of Cochin Harbour Terminus-Shornur Junction[56606/56607/56608/56609] passenger.But then the Venduruthy bridge, that provided connection from mainland to Willingdon Island where the station is located, got damaged after a dredger hit it.The bridge was declared unfit for service, but goods trains still use it.Also to note the Ernakulam jn.(ERS)-Cochin Harbour Terminus(CHTS) was approved for electrification when the electrification in the region was taken up some years ago.But the line is located very near to the naval airport at Willingdon island.The navy objected the construction of high rise structures.This...
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prevented the line from being electrified.The other rail projecs meant for Cochin Harbour Terminus like loco shed, coach maintainence shed etc got shifted to other locations.Many trains that started from Cochin Harbour Terminus got extended to other places.Also the location of the station also lead to less number of passengers visiting the station.The old Tea Garden Express(now Ernakulam-Nagore[16865/16866])was the last express that started operating from outside the Cochin Harbour Terminus station since 2002.The Ernakulam Junction(ERS) and Ernakulam Town(ERN) the two main railway station in Kochi is facing severe problem of space and capacity these days.In this context there is widespread demand to renovate Cochin Harbour Terminus and resume passenger services.The new Venduruthy rail bridge that is nearing completion has given new hopes for this station. The ample space at Cochin Harbour Terminus will surely clear the bottlenecks of space related to rail projects in Kochi.Even a MEMU maintainence shed along with an automatic coach washing plant could be setup in Cochin Harbour Terminus.The yard at Cochin Harbour Terminus is not long enough to accomodate new generation trains.It needs to be extended along with the platform.The old platform 3 and 4 need to renovated too.Now a reservation counter is operated from Cochin Harbour Terminus.Shifting the operations of passenger trains that start from Ernakulam junction to Cochin Harbour Terminus will help to increase the capacity of the railway line passing through the city.Cochin Harbour Terminus provides easy rail access to West Kochi. The Cochin Harbour Terminus could be the base for the Suburban rail service from Kochi as suggested by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).The Cochin Harbour Terminus station has the added advantage of being very close to the bus terminal and ferry terminal.The specifications put forward by navy on the height of the structures could pose as the major hurdle in the process.