Kochi: If things go as planned, Kochi may turn into a major goods hub. The railways has decided to develop its old yard at Mattancherry into a major collection and transportation point for stocks. Once developed, it would become a major goods yard under the Thiruvananthapuram railway division.The yard will also be used to stock ballast being brought by road to the railway division. This would be transported by ballast train to various destinations.Ahead of the renovation of the yard, the railways has replaced an old rail track of the adjacent Harbour Terminus railway station with new ones. There are eight railway lines at the yard and around 600-meter long platform. Currently, the ballast is being stockpiled at railway yards at Ettumanoor and Changanassery, and both the yards face space crunch. The division needs around 1.50 lakh cubic meter ballast every year.Only 60,000 to 70,000 cubic meter ballast is available in...
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the state and the rest is being purchased from Tamil Nadu.The works at the old goods yard will start in a week and will be completed in two months. Facilities are being arranged to stockpile 25,000 cubic meter ballast in the initial stage. A review will be held after the transportation of 25,000 cubic meter ballast in order to identify the ensuing problems, before developing the yard further. It is expected that around one lakh cubic meter ballast can be transported from the yard every year when it becomes fully functional.Railway officials are hopeful that the goods yard would become a dedicated goods depot for transportation of commodities like steel, which is now being transported from the yard adjacent to Kalamassery railway station. Officials said that a private steel manufacturing company had expressed willingness to shift their transportation of products from Kalamassery to the goods yard at Mattancherry.“The old goods yard was fully operational until the International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) at Vallarpadam became operational. All the shipping of goods shifted to Vallarpadam after the opening of ICTT. The transportation of steel from Kalamasserry has also become difficult owing to the heavy traffic movement of trains along the stretch. Unloading agent of a steel manufacturing company has asked the railways to shift the transportation of steel from Kalamassery to old goods yard. A preliminary meeting was held to discuss the matter,” said a railway official.“The yard functioned as the maintenance yard of trains till marshalling yard at Kathrikadavu became operatinal. There were around 200 staff in the yard for repairing trains. But when it was made mandatory that only full rakes of goods trains could carry commodities, the number of trains reaching the yard came down. Last time, a goods trains reached here was a year ago,” said the official.

Train services is to be regulated during the night from June 2 to 16, except on Tuesdays, to take up complete track renewal work using track re-laying train machines on the Aluva-Kalamasseri corridor.
During the period, Train No 16128 Guruvayur-Chennai Egmore Express will have a late start from the Guruvayur railway station at 11.25 p.m., except on June 5 and 12.
Train 16348 Mangaluru-Thiruvananthapuram Express, will be regulated for 60 minutes at Karukutty-Chalakudi section, except on June 5 and 12. Train 16344 Madurai-Thiruvananthapuram Amritha Express will be regulated for 40 minutes at Aluva,...
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except on June 5 and 12.
On June 4 and 11, Train 19260 Bhavnagar-Kochuveli Weekly Express will be regulated for 140 minutes at Aluva. On June 7 and 14, Train 16311 Bikaner-Kochuveli Weekly Express will be regulated for 140 minutes at Aluva and Train No 16360 Patna-Ernakulam Weekly Express, for 80 minutes at Angamali.
According to Railways, train No 16333 Veraval-Thiruvananthapuram Weekly Express will be regulated for 130 minutes at Aluva on June 8 and 13. On June 2, 9 and 16, Train 16335 Gandhidham-Nagercoil Weekly Express will be regulated for 140 minutes at Angamali.
On June 3 and 10, Train 16337 Okha-Ernakulam Biweekly Express will be regulated for 130 minutes at Aluva, Train 07115 Hyderabad-Kochuveli Weekly Express for 80 minutes at Angamali and Train 22634 Hazrat Nizamuddin-Thiruvananthapuram Weekly Express for 90 minutes at Karukutty station.

കൊച്ചി ∙ ആലുവ– എറണാകുളം സെക്‌ഷനിൽ മെട്രോ നിർമാണവും മേൽപ്പാലത്തിന്റെ പണിയും നടക്കുന്നതിനാൽ ഇന്നു മുതൽ നവംബർ മൂന്നു വരെ ചൊവ്വ, ശനി ദിവസങ്ങളിൽ ട്രെയിൻ ഗതാഗത നിയന്ത്രണമുണ്ടാകും. ഈ ദിവസങ്ങളിൽ രാത്രി 8.30ന് പുറപ്പെടുന്ന എറണാകുളം – കോട്ടയം, രാത്രി 7.40നുള്ള എറണാകുളം – ഗുരുവായൂർ പാസഞ്ചറുകൾ റദ്ദാക്കി.
കണ്ണൂർ-എറണാകുളം ഇന്റർസിറ്റി എക്സ്പ്രസ് ആലുവയിലും, നിലമ്പൂർ -എറണാകുളം പാസഞ്ചർ കളമശേരിയിലും യാത്ര അവസാനിപ്പിക്കും.
ചെന്നൈ മെയിൽ അര മണിക്കൂർ വൈകി 3.20ന് ആയിരിക്കും തിരുവനന്തപുരത്തുനിന്നു പുറപ്പെടുക. കൂടാതെ ഒരു മണിക്കൂറോളം വഴിയിൽ പിടിച്ചിടാനും സാധ്യതയുണ്ട്. കാരൈക്കൽ എക്സ്പ്രസ് 20 മിനിട്ട് വൈകി രാത്രി 10.30ന് എറണാകുളത്തു നിന്നു പുറപ്പെടും.
ശനിയാഴ്ചകളിലുള്ള...
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എറണാകുളം – നിസാമുദ്ദീൻ, ചൊവ്വാഴ്ചകളിലുള്ള തിരുവനന്തപുരം - നിസാമുദ്ദീൻ എക്സ്പ്രസുകൾ രണ്ടു മണിക്കൂറും നാഗർകോവിൽ-ഗാന്ധിധാം, കൊച്ചുവേളി – ബിക്കാനീർ എന്നിവ ഒരു മണിക്കൂറും കൊച്ചുവേളി-ബെംഗളൂരു, ബിലാസ്പൂർ-എറണാകുളം എന്നിവ അര മണിക്കൂറും വഴിയിൽ പിടിച്ചിടും.