No plan to close Ernakulam loco shed, facility to be upgraded: Ashwini Vaishnaw to Kerala CM

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has informed Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that there are no plans to close down the Ernakulam loco shed.

Railway Minister Vaishnaw was responding to a letter sent by Vijayan regarding the loco shed, according to a statement by Southern Railways on Thursday.

The union minister told the Kerala CM that the facility remains essential for the operational needs of the Thiruvananthapuram and Palakkad Railway Divisions, where it continues to maintain diesel locomotives and critical breakdown vehicles for the region, it said.

He further shared a roadmap for the shed’s future, revealing that the facility is being upgraded rather than shut down. Plans are already underway to transform the shed so it can maintain modern electric locomotives.

"To support this transition, the Railways has already begun necessary work to augment infrastructure and install specialised testing facilities for homing electric engines," the statement said.

It added that Vaishnaw’s response indicates that Ernakulam will remain a vital hub for Indian Railways, "evolving with the latest technology to serve the state’s transport network."