Kochi: If everything goes as per plan of the Thiruvananthapuram divisional authorities, the city MEMU service will chug to the Kalady Town in the near future. The track-laying and other construction works in the nine-km Angamaly-Kalady stretch of the Sabari line is at finishing stages and scheduled to be completed by January end, according to a senior official with the office of the Chief Administrative Officer (Constructions). This even as even the land acquisition process beyond Kalady is yet to gather steam and the railways risk idling the nine-km Angamaly-Kalady stretch for years.
“We’ll conduct a survey to access whether there is sufficient demand in the section. This will include the expense with regard to deployment of staff and other infrastructure. We’re already awaiting nod of the headquarters with regard to opening of the eight-km Harbour Terminus Lane, the construction of which has completed,” said Prakash Bhutani, Thiruvanantha-puram Divisional Railway Manager. “The railways should ideally operate a DEMU (Diesel Electrical Multiple Unit) in the Harbour Terminus-Angamly-Kalady route. This will require minimum investment with regard to infrastructure and personnel,” said P Krishnakumar, General Secretary, Thrissur Railway Passengers Association.
On August 12 last, the railways linked the small section of the proposed 191-km long Sabari rail line to the mainline at Angamaly station. “Technically speaking, upon completion of the work, trains can be run to whatever distance till where the rail line has been laid. After the Guruvayur-Thirunavaya line, this is the first occasion when a new railway line is connected to the mainline,” said a senior railway official. The Sabari project was sanctioned in 1998 but was moving at a snail's pace since then mainly due to fund crunch and alignment issues. Currently, the land acquisition process is stuck in the Kalady-Manjallur section.
