Fresh illustration on Kollengode – Thirssur railway which was not implemented for reasons unknown and pending for around five decades!

Fresh illustration on Kollengode – Thirssur railway which was not implemented for reasons unknown and pending for around five decades!

Can Railway Budget-2014 resolve the impediment in consenting for a branch railway line within Kerala that paves the way for a shortest rail-link between Central Kerala and central Tamil Nadu?

I have been advocating for the KOLLENGODE - THRISSUR RLY for many years to facilitate POLLACHI – THRISSUR chord line, a fresh Green Corridor between Kerala and TN.

( Madan Menon Thottasseri, Chennai)

In the last year, three Lok Sabha MPs - A Raja (Nilgiris, TN), M.I. Shanavas (Wayanad, Kerala) and R. Dhruva Narayana (Chamraj Nagar, Karnataka) had jointly written a letter to Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge to immediately order for a fresh engineering survey for laying a new railway line between Nilambur in Kerala’s Malappuram district and Karnataka’s Nanjagud in Mysore district via The Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu. The said line, once implemented will reduce the rail travel distance between Kanyakumari and New Delhi, say by 450 km and between Thiruvananthapuram and Bangalore by around 250 km. This line will become ideally alternative to the Palakkad – Salem – Hosur – Bangalore – Mysore railway section, which is round about. Construction of a viaduct at the Bandipur reserve-forest, on the lines of the Hassan – Mangalore line will be a challenging task. It is to be noted that in the Hassan – Mangalore line, the ghat section between Sakleshpur and Subramanya Road (36 Miles) under the tropical forests of Sahyadri Hills pass through a series of short tunnels, bridges and viaducts. The Nilambur – Sultan Batteri – Nanjangud line too will be mesmerizing travelers while trains jostle through the picturesque valleys having paddy fields, areca nut – coconut palm gardens, running streams and snooty hills.

I have read an article in a vernacular daily’s on-line edition on Saturday, 29th June 2014, which had indicated the probable incorporation of the Nilambur – Nanjangud railway line in the Railway Budget that will be presented in the Parliament on 8th July, 2014 by the Railway Minister-Sadananda Gowda. Though I am happy on knowing that the said proposed line is likely to become a reality, I am sad while I did see no sign of a similar green signal for the long pending Kollengode – Thrissur railway.

There is a long pending proposal for a new line between Kollengode, the erstwhile tiny realm and Thrissur, the city of pooram festivals, which is actually very much 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.

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 twin villages, Nenmara and Vallanghy. The small town is 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 neighboring 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!

A direct rail corridor from Pollachi to Thrissur by-passing the busy Palakkad will be availed 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. Kollengode - Thrissur railway, the long pending line connects Kollengode (lying in the Pollachi - Palakkad M.G section under gauge 
conversion) with Thrissur, lying in the Chennai – Palakkad/ - Ernakulam and Palakkad – Mangalore trunk route that was neglected by the railway 
ministry in the past 47 years!

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.

After the B.G conversion in Palakkad- Pollachi- Palani - Dindigul sections while Southern Railways can make it feasible to operate express trains between Alappuza (Alleppy)/Ernakulam/Guruvayur/Mangalore/Kozikkode(Calicut)/Palakkad and temple towns like Palani,Madurai,Rameswaram, Thiruchchi, Nagore, and Velankkanni in Tamil Nadu, it should simultaneously operate Passenger Trains as well.

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 k.m, 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.!

Kerala had not sought the support of Tamil Nadu and put forth its demand for the Kollengode- Thrissur railway line despite Kollengode – Thrissur line facilitates a chord line from Pollachi, the industrial town in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu well-known for the biggest market for vegetables, agro products, hill produce etc., to Thrissur the city in central Kerala, known for the Pooram festival. Tamil Nadu cannot ignore the importance of this line as an unimportant branch-line within the boundary of Kerala State. This railway line will be equally pertinent for the trade, commerce and tourism in both Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

It is desirable that M.Ps and Central Ministers from Kerala demand for the Kollengode - Thrissur railway line with support from counter parts of Tamil Nadu representing  Madurai, Trichy, Dindigul, Palani, Pollachi regions as people of these regions will also be beneficiaries of the proposed railway line. Up on consolidating strength with proper support from the respective regions of both States, they can jointly prevail on the Railway Ministry to sanction the railway line. It will be better if people of a particular region in Kerala do not agitate in isolation within Kerala. Instead they may tie up support from the people’s forums of neighboring Tamil Nadu. Action Councils based at Nenmara, and Kollengode etc. must form a consortium to jointly formulate agitations. The consortium can open affiliates/sub-councils at places like Pollachi, Udumalaipet, Palani, Oddanchatram and Dindigul with the help of business communities who are engaged in inter-state trade and commerce. They can also involve the Palani Dhadayudhapani Dewasthanam, which control and manage the famous Hill Temple that attracts pilgrims from other states, mainly from Kerala. Guruvayur Dewasam Board can also take an initiative for Kollengode – Thrissur railway line for the cause of pilgrims’ travel. The Railway Ministry will have no option than to heed to the common demand that gets consolidated from different quarters.

No barriers of state should affect the railway line that 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.

I think that there no much of enthusiastic demand for this railway line from the Thrissur region. This line will entail Thrissur to become a busy railway junction and thus people’s forums and trade associations in Thrissur may have to intensify their demand for the same.

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

These circular sections will be advantageous for the tourism development of Nelliyampathy ( Kerala) and Valparai ( T.N) Hill stations and many water reservoirs- Pothundy,  Mangalam, Peechi,Vazhani, Malampuzha, Chulliar, Meenkara, Aliar, Sholaiyar, Kadamparai, Nirayar and Parambikkulam. Ultimately the Pollachi - Kollengode- Thrissur chord line will add value to the tourism potential of these hill-stations and nearby dams with gardens, amusement parks, boating lakes, resorts etc. that can be easily accessible by foreign tourists landing at Kochi, Kozhikkode or Coimbatore airports.

Kollengode – Thrissur rail link should never carry the tag of a branch-line while the rail connection establishes an inter-state ‘chord-line’ (89 k.m) from Pollachi to Pooram City Thrissur. It will not be extraneous if Tamil Nadu comes forward initiating for the ‘Chord Line’ between Pollachi and Thrissur even if Kerala is not keen on advocating for the same!