Kerala: Track doubling to save travel time

Kochi: Trains running through Kottayam route could save up to 20 minutes in running time from October 1 as the track doubling works on the 12 km-long Kuruppanthara-Piravom section would be completed and commissioned for traffic by then. Earlier on September 3, the newly-built double line on the nine-km Chengannur-Thiruvalla section was commissioned. “There are multiple lines at the Piravom Junction and the new line will be connected to the present system on October 1. Since the safety commission and other formalities are already over, trains could start running through the new line on the day itself,” said a senior administration official.

Meanwhile, the Southern Railway  has put in place restrictions for train movement on September 24, 25 and October 1 to facilitate the final stage work of the newly-built double line between Piravom Road and Kuruppanthara. While long-haul trains like Kanyakumari-Mumbai CST Express, Thiruvananthapuram-Hyderabad Sabari Express and New Delhi-bound Kerala Express will be diverted via Alappuzha, several other trains, especially passenger, will be either fully or partially cancelled on these days.

For the last two years, no daily trains were added in the division due to saturation of line capacity, especially on the Ernakulam-Kottayam-Kayamkulam section. Meanwhile, the work on the Kuruppanthara-Chingavanam section is moving at a slow pace due to land acquisition issues. “The railways has contributed its share and now the state government has to hasten the acquisition of the remaining 30 acres,” the official said.