Business

Renovating Perianaickenpalayam Railway Station In Coimbatore

Perianaickenpalayam railway station was once a small, scenic station, and an important one at that, on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway Line for reaching Ooty.

Despite being only a halt for the Mettupalayam-Coimbatore train, the station is one of the most profitable, with up to 2000 passengers boarding the train at Perianaickenpalayam. The village's population, educational institutions and industries contribute to the station's importance.

Despite Perianaickenpalayam being a profitable station, it was dilapidated until some years ago. With its walls and ceiling sporting deep cracks and crumbling in some places, the entire area was covered with dense overgrowth making it a haven for poisonous snakes and insects. The station is one of the oldest in Tamil Nadu, built in 1873.

And it was finally renovated in 2016-2017 at the cost of Rs 2 crore under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of Lakshmi Machine Works (LMW) Ltd.

LMW, under its CSR initiative, took up the renovation work of the Perianaickenpalayam Railway Station in 2016, which was completed in June 2017. The renovation included constructing the station building with facilities such as a waiting area, ramps, separate differently-abled friendly toilets, ticket counter-cum-station master room, fencing of the station area and gardening. As a part of LMW's environment greening initiative, 135 native tree sapling varieties have been planted on the station premises and in the surrounding areas to increase the green cover and the ambience of the station.

Having been in existence for more than 150 years, the station plays a significant role in the locality's development. Currently, passengers use this station to travel between Coimbatore and Mettupalayam daily. Being located close to LMW, it is frequently used by company employees. The station was last renovated in 1986, and train services gradually increased in the following years.

Perianaickenpalayam Railway Station is part of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.