Gauge conversion over, thus trains running till Palani getting extended to Pollachi

(Madan Menon Thottasseri)

( Palakkad - Kollengode - Pollachi and Pollachi - Podanur MG sections still under gauge conversions shown in in BLUE LINES. The Kollengode - Thrissur line, pending for implementation is shown in BLACK LINES) 

It is very much cheering news to the people of Pollachi and nearby places including towns like Kollengode in the neighbouring Kerala State as the gauge conversion in the Palani – Pollachi stretch (67 k.m) is completed while the rail section upon BG conversion did undergo the CRS Inspection including Speed Trial Run entailing the introduction of trains. Since the gauge conversion in the Podanur – Pollachi is inordinately delayed; there is no chance to extending one or two pair of trains to Pollachi, especially those originating/ terminating at Coimbatore like Cheran Express and Chennai – Coimbatore Kovai Express.

Happy to learn that the Madurai Division had proposed to the railway board to extend three trains, namely Madurai – Palani ; Tiruchendur – Madurai – Palani ( bothPassengers) ; and Chennai Central – Salem – Namakal – Karur - Dindigul – Palani Express to Pollachi.

People of Pollachi region will never get any benefit from a train towards Chennai via. Palani – Dindigul- Karur- Salem route. The Chennai- Palani (to/fro) Express trains are already round-about since there is no direct rail-link between Karur to Palani. In fact these trains are ideally to be operated between Chennai Egmore and Palani, via. Chengelpet -Villupuram – Vridhachalam- Tiruchchi (Trichy) – Dindigul, the shortest route and thus the distance and journey time would be considerably reduced. Unfortunately these trains were introduced through Salem – Namakkal – Karur – Dindigul in last year so as to ply a train through the newly laid Salem – Namakkal – Karur line then and cater to the needs of people in this section.  The conversion project in the Podanur – Pollachi stretch is to be implemented as soon as possible and extend Chennai bound trains from Coimbatore mentioned above. Rameswaram/Madurai trains from Coimbatore are also to be operated after the gauge conversion of 40km long Pollachi – Podanur line.

A pair of Fast Passenger night trains with Sleeper Class bogies can be immediately introduced (drawing a parallel to such trains during the MG era) and can be lateron made as Palakkad – Rameswaram trains after the gauge conversions in the Pollachi – Palakkad stretch.

The conversion work in the pending stretch of Pollachi Jn. – Kollengode – Palakkad Jn. ( 58 k.m; PGT Town – PGT Jn. 5 km line is in BG-MG Mixed-Gauge) is very significant as it will be the last phase of the Palakkad – Dindigul B.G conversion project. The ongoing conversion works in the stretch is to be expedited so that Southern Railway can make it feasible to operate express trains between Alappuza, Ernakulam, Guruvayur, Mangalore, Kannur, Palakkad and temple towns like Palani, Madurai, Rameswaram, Thiruchchi (Trichy) , Nagore, and Velankkanni in Tamil Nadu. As per the scheduled programme, the gauge conversion work in Palani – Pollachi- Palakkad section has to be finished on or before 31st March, 2013. The project had overrun time and cost!

I did see in news reports in a vernacular news paper on the 6th anniversary of the closure of PGT - Pollachi MG section and cessation of train service to facilitate gauge conversion. Train services were stopped on 10th Dec,2008 then. The ongoing gauge conversion project is very much behind the schedule. The Kollengode Passengers association had organized a protest meeting on 10^th December,2014 to condemn the slow pace of project development. They have doubts on the commissioning of the rail section for resumption of train services ( in the BG track) in April,2015 as promised by the Southern Railway.

It is to be noted that a direct rail corridor from Pollachi to Thrissur ( a Chord line) by-passing the busy Palakkad will be emerged out if the pending Kollengode - Thrissur railway line becomes a reality which will be useful for the faster movement of Containers between Tuticorin and Cochin Ports. It is very distressing to note that the Kollengode - Thrissur railway project was ignored by the railway ministry for the past 50 years! The long pending proposal for a new line between Kollengode, the erstwhile tiny realm and Thrissur, the city of pooram festivals, will be significant for the B.G conversion project in the Palakkad- Pollachi- Dindigul route aimed to facilitate shortest route to temple towns of south Tamil Nadu from Malabar and Cochin regions of Kerala. A traffic survey for connecting Kollengode and Thrissur (B.G) was done during 1964-65 by the distinguished Padmashree P.N.Baskaran Nair (late) who simultaneously surveyed the Salem- Bangalore and Hassan – Mangalore lines. In fact this was the second survey, as the initial survey conducted during the pre-independence period in mid forties already went unnoticed. The line was resurveyed in the year 2007 and even allocated funds for the project.

It is very significant that the proposed Kollengode – Thrissur line passes through Nenmara, the gate-way of Nelliyampathy Hill- Station. Nelliyampathy is an upcoming tourist destination and also an ideal out-door shooting location for movie makers in Southern India.

The present Nenmara town is constituted by the erstwhile old twin villages, presently towns - Nenmara and Vallanghy. These towns are better known for spectacular show of elephants’ parade and fireworks displayed at the Nenmara- Vallenghy Vela Festival, held in the first week of April every year. This festival attracts not only people of people of Cochin- Malabar regions or Coimbatore- Pollachi- Tiruppur regions of neighbouring Tamil Nadu, but also tourists from bigger cities like Chennai and Bangalore. Of late, foreign tourists visiting Kerala during the month of April are wooed by Tourist Operators to see the spectacular festival.The said rail link between Kollengode and Thrissur will give a face-lift to the paddy-cultivation and trading centers covered under Chulliyar, Pothundy, Mangalam and Peechi irrigation projects. Boat rides in Peechi, close to Thrissur and Pothundy reservoirs are popular. The other two reservoirs are close to Kollengode. It will be an enchanting journey by a train that chugs through the beautiful countryside surrounded by thick lush of paddy fields, Coconut and areca-nut farms, rubber plantations and picturesque hills!

If the new line between Kollengode and Thrissur is made possible, it will establish the shortest route from Madurai/Tiruchcchi regions in Central Tamil Nadu to the Cochin regions of Kerala state. Trains between the Madurai/Tiruchchi and Thrissur, Guruvayur, Ernakulam, Alleppy etc. can be operated through Pollachi – Kollengode – Thrissur route, by-passing the traffic saturated Palakkad – Ottappalam – Shoranur/ Thrissur sections. Trains towards Malabar region, Mangalore and beyond through Konakan railways to Uduppi, Goa, Mumbai etc. can move through Pollachi- Kollengode- Thrissur- Shoranur Jn. as well as through Pollachi-Kolengode – Palakkad - Shoranur. In reality the gauge conversion in the Dindigul – Palakkad sector and also the new line between Kollengode and Thrissur will facilitate Tamil Nadu to become one of the major beneficiary states of the Konkan Railways.

The distance from Tiruchchi (Trichy) to Thrissur, Guruvayur or Ernakulam/Cochin ( via. Manappara- Dindigul – Palani – Udumalaipettai- Pollachi – Kollengode - Nenmara- Vadakkumcherry- Kuthiran-Pattikkad - Mannuthy-Thrissur) will be less by 69 k.m when compared with the present round-about Tiruchchi- Karur -Erode – Podanur- Palakkad – Ottapalam – Wadakkancherry – Thrissur route.

Further in future, the Thrissur- Nenmara – Kollengode - Pollachi- Podanur B.G.sections (129 k.m) will serve as an alternative route to the busy Thrissur- Palakkad Jn. – Podanur  Jn. (125 k.m), a double-lined trunk section. Despite lengthier by 4 km, Southern Railways will find this route through the valley of Nelliyampathy hills as a ‘third line’ between Podanur and Thrissur, as it by-passes the busy Palakkad Jn.! Also, once the Guruvayur –Thirunavaya or Tanur railway line becomes reality, the Pollachi- Kollengode – Thrissur- Guruvayur – Tanur/Thrunavaya stretch will enable operation of trains between cities and pilgrim centers of central Tamil Nadu and west-coast cities like Kozhikode, Kannur and places beyond like Mangalore, Goa, Mumbai etc. through Konkan line, bypassing the busy Palakkad - Shoranur stretch.

Kollengode – Thrissur, the proposed new railway line that facilitates a straight rail-route between Pollachi and Thrissur offers adequate scope to operating round the clock pilgrim shuttle services between Palani and Guruvayur to cover a distance of 176 K.m within four and half hours. Further by operating both Express and Fast Passenger trains through  Dindigul- Palani –Pollachi –Kollengode-Nenmara- Thrissur line connecting trunk-route railheads of Tamil Nadu and Kerala ( Maduarai/Tiruchchi/Dindigul and Thrissur/Ernakulam)  will enhance the potential for traffic earnings and optimum utilisation of rolling stocks.

On implementation of the Kollengode- Thrissur railway, pilgrims and tourists will get a   big circular route, Palakkad – Podanur – Pollachi – Kollengode – Nenmmara- Thrissur - Shoranur – Ottapalam - Palakkad (255 k.m) comprising two smaller circular sections, viz. Palakkad – Kollengode – Nenmara – Thrissur – Shoranur – Palakkad; and Palakkad – Podanur – Pollachi – Kollengode – Pudunagaram – Palakkad.

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