BG Train
travel from Pollachi prior to completion of BG Conversion in the Palakkad – Pollachi
erstwhile MG section
( Madan
Menon Thottasseri)
Happy to
know on the accelerated pace of the gauge conversion in the Palakkad -
Kollengode - pollachi section, a part of the Palakkad - Dindigul BG Conversion
project. Pollachi - Palani - Dindigul section is already opened for traffic.
The Pollachi - Podanur section is under work in progress like the Pollachi
-Palakkad section. The palakkad – Dindigul line that gets connected with trunk
routes at both ends will add value in respect of traffic earnings to the
Palakkad and Madurai divisions in the Southern Railway.
At present the Palakkad - Kolengode - Pollachi BG track
laying ( MG to BG Conversion ) is in full swing and Southern Railway is likely
to open the line if not by end of April, at least by mid may,2015 once the
inspection by Commissioner for Rail Safety is over. The significance of the Palakkad
- Kollengode - Pollachi - Udumalaipet- Palani - Dindigul BG line is enormous
mainly due to the fact that it creates direct rail link between Central Tamil
Nadu to West Coast cities - Goa, Mumbai etc via. Palakkad, Kozhikkode,
Mangalore etc( through Konkan Railway from Mangalore).
Once the
Dindigul – Palakkad section becomes operational upon opening the pending
portion of the Pollachi junction – Kollengode – Palakkad Town – Palakkad junction
line, a new pair of trains offering overnight journey from Chennai to Guruvayur
can be introduced. Of course currently those who travel directly to Guruvayur
opt for overnight trains to Thrissur ( by Trains to Ernakulam, Alleppy,
Thiruvananthapuram via. Erode -Palakkad and even get a connection train from
there to Guruvayur, just 22 km away).
Since
availability of accommodation upto Thrissur will be less, it is desirable to
introduce a new train to Guruvayur via. Dindigul – Oddanchatram - Palani –
Udumalaipet -Pollachi – Kollengode and Palakkad which will benefit passengers in
this region as well. This pair of trains
can have link trains beween Madurai and Dindigul and thus passengers between
Madurai and Guruvayur will get overnight journey. The train from Chennai Egmore
can be scheduled to leave around 18.00 pm which will arrive Dindigul at 1.00
hours while the Link train from Madurai say leaving at 00.00 hours will reach Dindigul at 1.00 hours.
Both trains can be amalgamated at Dindigul. The composition of train can be
with half the number of SL and AC coaches allocated between the main train from
Chennai Egmore and the Link train fro Madurai. If the train leaves Dindigul at
1.15 it may reach Palani at 2.45 hours Pollachi at 4. 00, Kollengode at 4.45, Palakkad 5.15, Thrissur at 6.30 and Guruvayur
at 7.00 hours. In the return direction, the train can be scheduled to leave
Guruvayur at 19.00 hours while it will reach Thrissur at 19.30, Palakkad at 20.45,
Kollengode at 21.15, Pollachi at 22.30, Palani at 23.45 and Dindigul at 01.15.
The Madurai link train can be given more stoppage time at Dindigul and can be
scheduled to leave around 2.15 and reach Madurai 3.30 hours. The Train towards
Chennai can leave around 2.00 hours reaching Chennai Egmore at 9.00 hours.
The existing Chennai
Guruvayur train ( Train No. 16127/28 and Tuticorin Link Express No.16129/30) can
be converted into two trains as Chennai – Nagarcoil /Tuticorin Expresses ( the
same Train Nos. and the Tuticorin link train bifurcates at Vanchi Maniyachi
junction) and bogies of the Nagrcoil train can run as Nagarcoil – Guruvayur
Express with a fresh Train Number. In the return direction, the Guruvayur –
Nagarcoil Express can continue the journey as Nagarcoil – Chennai Egmore
Express together with the Link Express bogies from Tuticorin amalgamated at the
Vanchi maniyachi junction as usual.
It is to
be noted that passengers from Virudhanagar – Tirunelveli regions can travel to
Guruvayur by the Nagarcoil train and continue their journey without changing
the compartments while the composition of the Nagarcoil – Guruvayur train is to
be with the same bogies. Reservations to/fro these stations are to be
facilitated accordingly.
The recently introduced Palani Express train ( Train No. 22651; up to Pollachi
as a Special Train ) to Chennai Central run through the round-about route via. Palani – Karur – Salem. In the return direction, it leaves Pollachi
at 17.45 p.m, which is too early a departure time for passengers from Pollachi
region. Probably the departure cannot be delayed as it will be inconvenient for
passengers from intermediate stations like Karur, Namakkal and Salem. Further a
delayed departure will haul the train into a traffic saturated schedule in the
busy Salem – katpadi - Arakkonam - Chennai section. In fact this pair train is 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. Chennai Egmore – Palani is with a distance of 490 km via. Villupuram – Tiruchirappalli - Dindigul while Chennai Central – Palani via. Arakkonam - Katpadi - Jolarpet -Salem – Namakkel - Karur –Dindigul is with a distance of 552 km. Though round about by 62 km, Chennai Central– Palani train will help Chennaites to have an over night direct journey without alighting at Dindigul, to the pilgrim centre. Further it will be convenient for passengers coming from outstations and alighting at Chennai Central to have a convenient onward journey to Palani, the abode of God Balasubramanya situated in the hill temple.
( I did travel by this train on 19th April, 2015
from Palani. I have come from Chennai to
my village inpalakad district on 16th April,2015. I had decided to
travel by the Palani – Chennai Express on my return journey as reservation was
not available from Palakkad in Chennai bound night trains. On 19th
April 2015 I reached Pollachi too early in the afternoon and the climate was
very scorching and sultry. The Pollachi – Palani – Madurai passenger train was
ready to leave the platform at 15.15. Thus instead of waiting for the Chennai
Train leaving at 16.45 ( avoided waiting at the Platform at Pollachi Junction
while the Chennai Train compartments were not unlocked), I boarded on the
Madurai train and travelled up to Palani. The breeze in the valley of western-ghats
in the Pollachi – Udumalaipet – Palani stretch was fine and I had my first BG
train journey in this section! The train reached Palani on time at 16.55. At Palani, the climate was fine in the evening
with good breeze and the Chennai Express reached on time at 18.10 from Pollachi
by the time I had refreshments and a nice Tea at the restaurant in Platform
No.1. The Reservation e-ticket I had was from Palani. The train arrived Chennai
Central at at scheduled time 4.15 am on the next day, 20th April
2015.)
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 between Polachi junction and Rameswaram. These trains can be
operated between palakkad and Rameswaram upon opening the Pollachi - Kollengode
- Palakkad stretch for traffic after the gauge conversion. Of course, taking
into account the volume of passengers towards Palakkad and beyond, Southern
railway can also introduce a couple of Fast Passenger Trains as well in the Dindigul
- Palakkad branch line and offer connections to the trunk route- superfast
trains that pass through Dindigul as well as Palakkad.
It would
have been fine if the pending Kollengode - Thrissur line (fresh BG line) had
been sanctioned and made a reality at this time when the full stretch of the
Dindigul – Palakkad MG section becomes a BG section upon gauge conversion and ready for operation of train services.
Very unfortunate that the Kollengode - Thrissur railway (fresh BG line to be
constructed) is still pending! The Kollengode - Thrissur line must become a
reality which will create a direct chord line between Pollachi and Thrissur and
leads to a fresh new rail corridor from Central Tamil Nadu to Thrissur, the
Pooram festival city in Central Kerala while the erstwhile MG network are all
most converted into BG in this region. It is to be noted that Dindigul is a big
Railway Junction having connectivity to Trichy, Thajore, Pondicherry, Chennai
etc towards the east; Madurai - Tuticorin, Tirunelveli, Nagarcoil, kanyakumari
etc. towards south-west and Karur, Salem, Bangalore etc towards north-east. The
Palani - Pollachi - Palakkad/Podanur section is towards north from Dindigul.
Kollengode
- Thrissur railway which was shelved since the first post-independence survey
in 1964 must be undeniably implemented as it will change the face of the
Pollachi - Kollengode - Nenmara - Vadakkumcherry - Thrissur region in all
respects. The Kollengode - Thrissur line will create a direct chord-line
between Thrissur and Pollachi, bypassing the busy Palakkad. Let us hope that both
Kerala and Tamil Nadu ( though it is within Kerala ) will take note of potentials
of Kollengode – Thrissur railway and prevail on the Railway Ministry to make it
a reality at the earliest.
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