BG Train travel from Pollachi prior to completion of BG Conversion in the Palakkad – Pollachi erstwhile MG section

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 19^th April, 2015 from Palani.  I have come from Chennai to my village inpalakad district on 16^th 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 19^th 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, 20^th 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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