Instead of the already announced double decker express to Bengaluru from here, Southern Railway now plans to operate special trains between the two cities using Shatabdi coaches, a senior railway official said today.

Though the announcement made was about operating a double decker with Uday coaches at Diwali, the non-availability of coaches from Kapurthala Coach Factory resulted in shelving the idea for the time being and instead it has been proposed to operate a special superfast train on a trial basis using Shatabdi coaches, Salem Divisional Railway Manager Hari Shankar Verma told reporters.

To ease the congestion, a multi-level parking facility for both cars and two-wheelers will come up at the city railway station at a cost of Rs. 2 crore, he said.

“We are in talks with two to three manufacturers for installation of a facility for around 380 cars and one separately for two-wheelers. Once that comes in, we will bring in automated parking fee, so both entry and exit will be computerised with no manual role,” he said.

On the platform expansion in nearby Mettupalayam, he said that approval is awaited from the Commissioner for Railway Safety, which is expected around March next, to accommodate 24 coaches, Verma said.

Verma, who was here to participate in the Railway Users Committee meeting, said that the widening of platform 1A will commence soon to fulfill the demand from passengers.

On the much-delayed broad gauge between Kinathukadavu-Podanur, he said that it was expected to be completed by March.