Palani, Pollachi trains to resume services | Coimbatore News

Coimbatore: Southern Railway on Saturday announced plans to resume train services to Palani and Pollachi via Podanur-Kinathukadavu-Pollachi section and another train from Palakkad to Pollachi in a couple of days’ time.
Rail users had been demanding the railway authorities to resume operation of these trains, which were stopped after the Covid-19 outbreak, ever since the government started relaxing the lockdown restrictions.
While Coimbatore-Palani-Coimbatore daily train would be operated as unreserved express special train starting from Wednesday, Coimbatore-Pollachi-Coimbatore train would resume operations from next Saturday. The Pollachi train would be operated only for six days a week, as there won’t be services on Sundays.
The train to Palani would start from Coimbatore junction at 2.10pm on Wednesday and reach the end destination at 4.40pm with seven stoppages, including those at Podanur, Kinathukadavu and Pollachi. The train would then start from Palani at 11.15am the next day and reach Coimbatore by 2pm.
Similarly, the train to Pollachi would start from the city junction at 6.45pm on Saturday and reach the end destination by 7.45pm with stoppages at Podanur and Kinathukadavu. The train would start the return journey the next day at 7.45am and reach the city by 8.40am.
The Palakkad-Pollachi-Palakkad train would, meanwhile, resume service from next Sunday. It would start from Palakkad at 4.55pm and reach Pollachi at 6.30pm. The train would them leave Pollachi at 8.30pm and reach Palakkad at 10.30pm.
Welcoming the move, S Shanmugasundaram, a member of Madurai Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee, said the trains could have been operated as normal trains instead of special trains, for which fares would be higher.
B Mohan Raj, secretary, Pollachi Train Passengers Welfare Association, said the resumption of the three trains would immensely help the working people and college students. “Kinathukadavu railway station, which was temporarily closed as there were no passenger trains on the section, will now become active. We want the Southern Railway to resume trains from Coimbatore to Rameswaram and 13 southern districts as well.”