It is one of the fastest growing tier-II cities in India and a major textile, industrial, commercial, educational, information technology, healthcare and manufacturing hub of Tamil Nadu.[2] It is often referred to as the "Manchester of South India" due to its cotton production and textile industries.[3][4] Train service in Coimbatore started in 1861, upon construction of the Podanur–Madras line connecting Kerala and the west coast with the rest of India.Recently Vadavalli and Thondamuthur are the two new areas that has been included in the linear line as part of the phase extension.[9][10] In 2017,Tamil Nadu government announced that CMRL would prepare DPR and feasibility report for Coimbatore metro rail project and will be funded by German-based company.