Decision to reduce width of concourse at Kozhikode railway station sparks protest

The decision to reduce the width of the proposed concourse between the east and west terminals of the Kozhikode railway station from 48 metres to 24 metres has sparked protests among the public and travellers.

People’s representatives who attended the review meeting chaired by Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs George Kurian on October 10 reminded the railway authorities that the decision would cause much inconvenience to commuters in the long run.

Meanwhile, M.K. Raghavan, Kozhikode MP, has requested Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and the chairman of the railway standing committee to intervene and revoke the decision to reduce the width. He said that widening the concourse at a later stage would be expensive and time-consuming. Incidentally, the railway authorities had cited cost-cutting and ease of construction as reasons for the decision.

The station is being developed to international standards under the Amrut scheme at a cost of ₹445.95 crore. The project aims to transform the facility into a modern and passenger-friendly terminal equipped with upgraded infrastructure, enhanced amenities, and improved aesthetics in line with the Indian Railways’ vision of world-class stations. The project has been designed with a vision for the next 40 years, and its current phase is expected to be completed by June next year.

The concourse is one of the major attractions of the project. With facilities such as shopping areas, coffee shops, and restaurants attached to it and with access to the public without entering the platforms, the concourse was expected to attract more crowds to the station for purposes other than travel. However, with the width being cut down to half, many of these facilities may not materialise. Moreover, it may lead to overcrowding, as the station with a daily footfall of 60,000 to 70,000 a day, is one of the busiest in South India.

The redevelopment works at the station are moving at a steady pace. According to the railway authorities, the construction of the health unit is almost complete, and that the construction of a multi-level car parking facility was in progress.