Ernakulam–Kayamkulam coastal railway line

Ernakulam–Kayamkulam Coastal railway line
Overview
Native name	എറണാകുളം-കായംകുളം തീരദേശ തീവണ്ടി പാത
Type	Regional rail Light rail
Status	Operational
Locale	Kerala
Termini	Ernakulam Junction Kayamkulam Junction
Stations	20
Services	1
Website	www.sr.indianrailways.gov.in
Operation
Opened	16 October 1989 (1989-10-16)
Owner	Indian Railways
Operator(s)	Southern Railway zone
Technical
Line length	100 km (62 mi)
Number of tracks	1
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Loading gauge	4,725 mm × 3,660 mm (15 ft 6.0 in × 12 ft 0.1 in) (BG)
Operating speed	100 km/h (62 mph)
Route map Legend km to Aluva to Kottayam -2 Ernakulam C Cabin 0 Ernakulam Junction 5 Tirunettur 8 Kumbalam 12 Aroor Halt 18 Ezhupunna 23 Turavur 27 Vayalar 33 Cherthala 39 Tiruvizha 44 Mararikulam 48 Kalavur Halt 54 Tumboli 58 Alappuzha 63 Punnapra 70 Ambalappuzha 75 Takazhi 82 Karuvatta Halt 88 Haripad 93 Cheppad to Kottayam 115 Kayamkulam Junction 121 Ochira 129 Karunagappalli 136 Sasthamkotta 139 Munroturuttu 147 Perinad to Punalur Kallumthazham Overpass Chemmanmukku Overpass 156 Kollam Junction to Thiruvananthapuram Central

Ernakulam–Kayamkulam coastal railway line is a railway line which runs along the coastal areas of Alappuzha, Ernakulam districts in Kerala state of India. The coastal railway line starts as a branch line from Ernakulam Junction railway station towards Alappuzha and joins with the route via Kottayam at Kayamkulam Junction. The coastal railway line has a total distance of 100 km.

History

The initial survey for the Ernakulam–Kayamkulam railway line via Alappuzha was started in 1975. The initial proposed alignment of the railway line from Ernakulam Junction to Alappuzha has been changed after protests from various quarters. The final alignment of the route which was approved was Ernakulam–Konthuruty–Nettor–Kumbalam–Aroor–Cherthala–Alappuzha. The construction of railway line was started on 15 April 1979 and the construction has been divided into two reaches as Ernakulam–Alappuzha reach and Alappuzha–Kayamkulam reach.^[1]

Ernakulam–Alappuzha section

The construction of this coastal railway line in Ernakulam Junction–Alappuzha railway station section was started in 1979. Around 140 hectares of land was acquired for laying the railway lines. 11 new railway stations and 6 major bridges has been constructed along this route. The total cost outlay was 7 crores and the total length of the railway line is 54 km. The line was opened to railway traffic on 16 October 1989.

Alappuzha–Kayamkulam section

The construction of Alappuzha–Kayamkulam section was started as part of second phase of coastal railway development and the alignment was via Alappuzha–Punnapra–Ambalappuzha–Haripad–Kayamkulam. The total length of the railway line was 45 km and the line was opened to railway traffic on 1992. Thus the Ernakulam Junction–Alappuzha coastal railway line has been connected to Kayamkulam Junction railway station–Kollam Junction main railway line.

Stations

There are 18 stations along this route. Alappuzha, Cherthala, Haripad, Ambalappuzha stations are the major stations along this route.

Electrification & track doubling

Ernakulam Junction–Alappuzha–Kayamkulam railway line is fully electrified. The double line work on 13 km Kayamkulam–Haripad section has been completed and the double line track was commissioned in January 2012. The track doubling work for Haripad–Ernakulam Junction is currently in progress.

Rail traffic

The Ernakulam–Alappuzha–Kayamkulam coastal railway line has 20 express trains and 7 passenger trains running along this route.

Trains connecting the cities of Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi are increasingly preferring this route to the one via Kottayam because this route is shorter and saves considerable amount of time in reaching these cities. Major trains like Thiruvananthapuram-Kozhikode Jan Shatabdi Express and Thiruvananthapuram-Delhi Rajdhani Express run via Alappuzha.

See also

• Kayamkulam Junction
• Alappuzha railway station
• Ernakulam South
• Kollam Junction

References

Railways in Southern India
National network / trunk lines	Howrah–Chennai main line New Delhi–Chennai main line Mumbai–Chennai line
Other lines / sections	Chennai Central–Bangalore City line Chennai Egmore–Thanjavur main line Chord Line Coimbatore–Shoranur railway line Gudivada–Bhimavaram section Gudivada–Machilipatnam branch line Guntakal–Chennai Egmore section Guntur–Macherla section Guntur–Repalle section Jolarpettai–Shoranur line Kazipet–Vijayawada section Kollam–Sengottai branch line Kollam–Thiruvananthapuram trunk line Khurda Road–Visakhapatnam section Kothavalasa–Kirandul line Manamadurai–Virudhunagar line Mysore–Bangalore railway line Mysore–Chamarajanagar branch line Nagpur–Hyderabad line Nilambur–Nanjangud rail line (Proposed) Nilambur–Shoranur railway line Nilgiri Mountain Railway Palakkad–Pollachi line Pagidipalli–Nallapadu railway line Peralam–Karaikal line Sabari railway line (Proposed) Shimoga–Talaguppa railway Shoranur–Cochin Harbour section Shoranur–Mangalore section Solapur–Guntakal section Vijayawada–Chennai section Vijayawada–Guntur section Visakhapatnam–Vijayawada section Ernakulam–Kayamkulam coastal railway line Guntakal–Vasco da Gama section Pune–Miraj–Londa line Bangalore–Arsikere–Hubli line Pamban–Dhanushkodi branch line (Defunct)
Urban and suburban rail transport	Chennai Chennai Suburban Railway Chennai Mass Rapid Transit System Chennai Metro Hyderabad Multi-Modal Transport System Hyderabad Metro Rail Bangalore Bangalore Commuter Rail Namma Metro Kochi Kochi Metro
Monorails	Bangalore Chennai Coimbatore Kozhikode Tiruchirappalli Thiruvananthapuram
Defunct railways	Cochin State Forest Tramway Kundala Valley Railway
Railway divisions	Bangalore Chennai Bangalore Hubli Madurai Mysore Palakkad Salem Thiruvananthapuram Tiruchirappalli
Named trains	Ahilya Nagari Express Ajmer–Hyderabad Meenakshi Express Andaman Express Amritha Express Anantapuri Express Andhra Pradesh Express Bangalore City–Ernakulam Intercity Express Bangalore Rajdhani Express Bhagmati Express Brindavan Express Chalukya Express Chamundi Express Charminar Express Chemmozhi Express Chennai Rajdhani Express Chennai–Alleppey Express Chennai Central–Coimbatore Shatabdi Express Chennai Hazrat Nizamuddin Duronto Express Chennai–Jaipur Express Chennai–Madurai Duronto Express Chennai–Mysore Shatabdi Express Chennai Thiruvananthapuram AC Duronto Express Chennai Egmore–Mangalore Central Express Chennai Central–Vijayawada Jan Shatabdi Express Cheran Express Cholan Express Circar Express Cocanada AC Express Coimbatore–Chennai Express Coimbatore–Jaipur Express Coimbatore–Nagercoil Express Coimbatore–Tuticorin Link Express Coimbatore–Rameswaram Express Coromandel Express Ernad Express Ernakulam–H.Nizamudin Duronto Falaknuma Express Ganga Kaveri Express Godavari Express Gol Gumbaz Express Golconda Express Golden Chariot Goutami Express Grand Trunk Express Guruvayur Express Hampi Express Himsa Express Himsagar Express Hirakud Express Howrah–Chennai Mail Howrah–Kanyakumari Express Hussainsagar Express Hyderabad–Pune Express Indore–Yesvantpur Express Island Express Janmabhoomi Express Kanyakumari Express Kanyakumari–Mumbai Express Kaveri Express Kerala Express Krishna Express Kollam–Visakhapatnam Express Kongu Express Kovai Express Lal Bagh Express Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Ernakulam Duronto Express Malabar Express Mangala Lakshadweep Express Mangalore Yaswanthpur Express Manikarnika Express Mannai express Marusagar Express Matsyaganda Express Maveli Express Mayiladuthurai–Mysore Express Mumbai CST Chennai Express Mysore–Tuticorin Express Nagarjuna Express Nagercoil Passenger Nagavali Express Narayanadri Express Navjivan Express Navyug Express Nellai Express Netravati Express Nilgiri Express Pallavan Express Pandian Express Parasuram Express Pearl City Express Pinakini Express Poorna Express Pothigai Express Pune–Ernakulam Express Rajkot–Coimbatore Express Rani Chennamma Express Raptisagar Express Rockfort Express Sabari Express Samata Express Sanghamithra Express Satavahana Express Secunderabad Hazrat Nizamuddin Duronto Express Secunderabad Rajdhani Express Secunderabad Mumbai Duronto Express Sharavati Express Sethu Express Silambu Express Simhapuri Express Tamil Nadu Express Tea Garden Express Thirukural Express Tippu Express Tirumala Express Tiruchirappalli–Howrah Superfast Express Tiruchirappalli–Mayiladuthurai Express Tiruchirappalli–Tirunelveli Intercity Express Thiruvananthapuram Mail Thiruvananthapuram–Indore Express Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express Udyan Express Uzhavan Express Vanchinad Express Venad Express Visakha Express Visakhapatnam–Secunderabad Duronto Express Visakhapatnam–Secunderabad Garib Rath Express West coast express Yesvantpur Puducherry Garib Rath Express Yelagiri express Yercaud Express
Manufacturing units / workshops / sheds	Integral Coach Factory Rail Wheel Factory Golden Rock Railway Workshop Diesel Loco Shed, Golden Rock Kollam MEMU Shed
Railway zones	South Central Railway Southern Railway South Western Railway
Railway companies	Konkan Railway Corporation Kerala Monorail Corporation East Coast State Railway Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway Hyderabad–Godavari Valley Railways Madras Railway Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway
Agitations and accidents	1928 South Indian railway strike 1932 Madras and Southern Mahratta railway strike 1974 railway strike in India 1988 Kollam Peruman train accident Nellore train fire
See also	Indian Railways Bholu (mascot) Transport in Guntur Madras Time Thiruvananthapuram–Mangalore high-speed passenger corridor Annual passenger earnings details of railway stations in Kerala
Railways in India portal