New Delhi, March 13 The proposal to set up a coaching terminal at Nemom in Kerala is based on ground reports, feasibility studies, and actual requirements from the field, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in the Rajya Sabha on Friday.
Responding to CPI(M) MP John Brittas' claim that the Ministry has drastically reduced the size of the terminal, which, according to him, has virtually dismantled the core purpose of the project, Vaishnaw said, "The Nemom expansion is as per the ground report, feasibility studies, and actual requirements from the field."
A coaching terminal is a specialized railway facility that manages the origin, termination, and maintenance of train coaches.
Brittas said the purpose of the Nemom terminal project is to decongest Thiruvananthapuram Central and that it was announced 14 years ago.
He claimed that the project was originally conceived with five pit lines and ten stabling lines, but the Ministry has now reduced it to two pit lines and three stabling lines.
"Will he restore the project that was conceived and announced 14 years ago?" Brittas asked.
Replying to Brittas, Vaishnaw said that in 60 years of rule by the Congress and the CPI in Kerala, not a single pit line had been sanctioned.
"Today, we have taken up the complete expansion of Thiruvananthapuram," Vaishnaw said.
He added, "Work is progressing at a very good pace at Nemom."