MoS George Kurian's crucial intervention pays off; Ernakulam set to welcome new railway station

KOCHI: A new railway station is reportedly coming up near Nedumbassery International Airport. Following the intervention of Union Minister George Kurian, Southern Railway General Manager RN Singh visited the site and was instructed to prepare an estimate.

According to the revised estimate, the expenditure will be Rs. 19 crores. Once the estimate is approved, the construction will be completed within one year of inviting the contract.

The foundation stone of the railway station was laid in 2010 when E Ahmed was the Union Minister. However, for unknown reasons, the project got stalled. Recently, MP Benny Behanan had raised the issue in Lok Sabha. The layout for the railway station is near the solar field.

Two platforms will be constructed to accommodate 24 coaches. The platform will start after the flyover on Athani Junction-Airport Road. Both the Vande Bharat trains operating in the state will have a stop here. Along with this stoppage will also be allowed for intercity trains. Alighting from the platform will take you to Chowara—Neduvannoor Airport Road bordering the runway.

After travelling one and a half kilometres along the road below the flyover, passengers will reach the airport. These routes will include service from electric buses. As of now, the station is tentatively named ‘Cochin Airport’. The new railway station, when turned into a reality, will benefit a large majority of passengers. Most passengers now hire taxis with high fares from Kochi to reach the airport. The snarling traffic in the area is another hurdle to tackle. The railway station in Nedumbassery would count more value than another Vande Bharat reaching the state.