Jolarpettai–Shoranur line

Jolarpettai–Shoranur line
Legend
km km Chennai-Bangalore line  000 Jolarpettai 008 Tirupattur 012 Molakarampatti to Bangalore City  019 Kagankarai 229 Yeshvantapur  to Hubli  025 Kunnathur 225 Lottegallohalli  222 Hebbal  031 Samalpatti 210 Banaswadi  Chennai Central- Bangalore City line   039 Dasampatti 197 Belandur Road  194 Karmelaram   Ponnaiyar River 183 Heelalige  National Highway 7     173 Anekal Road  048 Dodampatti Tamil Nadu Karnataka border  158 Hosur  055 Morappur 144 Kelamangalam  135 Periyanaga Thunai  061 Thonganur 119 Rayakottai  101 Marandahalli  068 Buddireddippati 89 Palakkodu  Hosur-Erode Road  078 Bommidi 66 Dharmapuri  National Highway 7   088 Lokur 55 Sivadi  47 Muttampatti  097 Danishpet 35 Toppur  National Highway 7   104 Tinapatti 23 Karuvalli  39 Mettur Dam  114 Karuppur 27 Mecheri Road  19 Tolasampatti    National Highway 7 11 Omalur  3 Magnesite  117 Magnesite 0 Salem  120 Salem  to Vriddhachalam Salem Steel plant  to Karur 128 Neykkarapatti 131 Virapandy Road 142 Magudanchavadi    National Highway 544 154 Mavelipalaiyam 159 Sankaridurg The India Cements factory 167 Anangur 177 Cauvery  River Kaveri  to Karur on Erode-Tiruchi line 182 Erode Junction 189 Totiyapalayam 196 Perundurai 201 Ingur 209 Vijayamangalam 219 Uttukuli 222 Kulipalayam 232 Tiruppur 240 Vanjipalayam 250 Somanur 259 Sulur Road   National Highway 544 265 Irugur 14 Singanallur  282 Podanur 9 Pilamedu   National Highway 209   000 Coimbatore Main 3 Coimbatore North   17 Periyanayikanpalayam    State Highway 162 28 Karaimadal  36 Mettupalayam   to Pollachi Nilgiri Mountain Railway (narrow gauge)   National Highway 209  ACC Limited plant 286 Madukkarai 291 Ettimadai   Tamil Nadu Kerala border 300 Walayar 304 Chullimada 311 Kanjikode  Malampuzha River 319 Kottekad 326 Palakkad   National Highway 213  to Pollachi 334 Parli 342 Mankara 349 Lakkidi 353 Palappuram 357 Ottappalam 364 Mannanur   to Shoranur– Cochin Harbour section 370 Shoranur to Nilambur– Shoranur railway line   to Shoranur– Mangalore section

The Jolarpettai–Shoranur line connects Jolarpettai, on the Chennai Central-Bangalore City line in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Shoranur in Kerala. There are several branch lines: Salem-Dharmapuri-Hosur-Yeshvantapur, Salem-Mettur Dam and Irugur/Podanur-Coimbatore-Mettupalayem connecting to Udhagamandalam (Ooty) via Nilgiri Mountain Railway. This network links the railway network in Kerala to the networks in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, and subsequently other states.

History

The first train service in southern India and the third in India was operated by Madras Railway from Royapuram / Veyasarapady to Wallajah Road (Arcot) in 1856. Madras Railway extended its trunk route to Beypur / Kadalundi (near Calicut) in 1861^[1]

The 229 km (142 mi) long 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in) wide metre gauge Salem-Bangalore line was opened in 1969.^[2][3] It was converted to 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) wide broad gauge in 1997.^[4]

The Podanur-Mettuapalayam line was opened to traffic in 1873. The UNESCO heritage track, Nilgiri Mountain Railway was opened in two stages. The Mettupalayam-Coonoor section was opened in 1899 and it was extended up to Udhagamandalam (Ooty) in 1908.^[5] The 46 km (29 mi) long railway rises from 330 metres (1,080 ft) at Mettuapalaym to 2,200 metres (7,200 ft) at Udhagamandalam.^[6]

Two 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) wide narrow gauge famine protective lines were opened in the early years of the twentieth century. The 25.25 mi (41 km) long Tirupattur-Krishnagiri line was opened in 1905 and the 18.5 mi (30 km) long Morappur-Dharmapuri line was opened in 1906 and extended to Hosur - 54.5 mi (88 km) long . The Hosur-Dharmapuri line was decommissioned in 1941 and other two lines were closed around 1945.^[7][8]

Electrification

The mainline was electrified in stages. The Jolarapettai-Morapur sector was electrified in 1989-90, the Morapur-Salem (excluded) in 1990-91, the Salem-Erode sector in 1991-92, the Tripur-Waylar sector including Coimbatore in 1995-96, and the Waylar-Vallatolnagar (beyond Shoranur, towards Ernakulam) in 1996-97. The Magnesite-Mettur Dam sector was electrified in 1990-91.^[9]

As of 2013, electrification of Coimbatore-Mettuapalayem is to be taken up this fiscal.^[10]

Speed limit

The Arakkonam-Jolarpettai-Salem-Erode-Coimbatore-Ernakulam line is classified as a "Group B" line which can take speeds up to 130 km/h.^[11]

Loco sheds

Erode diesel loco shed holds WDM-2, WDM-3A, WDM-3D, WDG-3A and WDG-4 locos. Erode loco shed holds WAG-7 and WAP-4 locos. It is home to the largest fleet of WAP-4 locos on Indian Railways and handles some of the longest routes for electric trains in the country.^[12]

Jolarpettai has an electric/ diesel trip shed.^[12]

Passenger movement

Salem, Coimbatore, Erode and Palakkad, on this line, are amongst the top hundred booking stations of Indian Railway.^[13]

Railway reorganization

In the early 1950s legislation was passed authorizing the central government to take over independent railway systems that were there. On 14 April 1951 the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway, the South Indian Railway Company and Mysore State Railway were merged to form Southern Railway. Subsequently, Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway was also merged into Southern Railway. On 2 October 1966, the Secunderabad, Solapur, Hubli and Vijayawada Divisions, covering the former territories of Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway and certain portions of Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway were separated from Southern Railway to form the South Central Railway. In 1977, Guntakal division of Southern Railway was transferred to South Central Railway and the Solapur division transferred to Central Railway. Amongst the seven new zones created in 2010 was South Western Railway, which was carved out of Southern Railway.^[14]

References

External links

• Trains at Salem
• Trains at Coimbatore Main
• Trains at Erode
• Trains at Palakkad

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