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VADODARA: At last, chances are bright that Barodians will get trains originating from their own city.
The Vadodara railway division is setting up a washing line and a coach maintenance depot at Pratapnagar, which, officials say, is a basic requirement for long-distance trains to originate from any important station.
Despite Vadodara railway division being the second highest revenue earner for Western Railway, there is just one train - Baroda Express - that starts from the city. There are 115 trains that pass through Vadodara railway station on a daily basis.
Ironically, the city helps metro trains of New Delhi run with coaches manufactured here!
"The new facilities at Pratapnagar will make the maintenance of trains possible at Vadodara as it will have the capacity to accommodate a 26 coaches - the maximum that runs on the Indian Railway network," Naveen Kumar Shukla, divisional railway manager of Vadodara railway division told TOI.
Based on CAMTECH design, the washing line facility will cost nearly Rs 5.7 crore while the coach maintenance complex will tentatively cost Rs 4.5 crore.
"Tenders for the facility will be opened on May 17. Once the work is awarded, construction will start within three months and the facility will be on stream by end of this year," said Shukla.
Starting long-distance originating trains to destinations like Delhi, Mumbai and Pune has been a long-pending demand from trade bodies, business groups and passengers.
A washing line is needed for primary maintenance of trains which involves passenger amenities and safety checks. The train is cleaned, checked for provision of passenger amenities and put to under-gear monitoring at the washing line. The maintenance of a train takes at least six hours. And it is the number of washing lines at the station that in a way decides the number of originating trains from the place.
Tryst with history
Vadodara's date with railways goes back to the time even before the Indian Railways was incorporated. Over 150 years ago, it was here that trains started chugging on narrow gauge lines through the first initiative by an Indian to meet demands of local populace.