The Railway Ministry has taken cognisance of the demand raised by a CITU functionary in Mettupalayam for extension of Mangaluru-Coimbatore Express (No. 16323/ 16324) to Mettupalayam.
In a representation to the Railway Board routed through Salem Railway Division, Southern Railway, S. Basha, general secretary of Mettupalayam Talukka Podhu Thozhilalar Sangam affiliated to CITU, mooted utilisation of the express train that is brought to Mettupalayam Railway Station for overnight halt for passenger service, and, thereby, designate Mettupalayam as the starting point.
The train is taken to Mettupalayam Railway Station at 10 p.m. without passengers, and it departs from there at 6 a.m. the following day with empty coaches.
The train with 17 coaches, if used as passenger service between Coimbatore and Mettupalayam and back, will fetch substantial revenue for the Railways, Mr. Basha said.
Mettupalayam could be designated the starting point for the train that departs from Coimbatore Junction at 7.50 a.m., Mr. Basha said, espousing the cause of the trading community in Mettupalayam and surroundings.
