With the new railway time table in force from Saturday, it became certain that Railways will not operate any long-distance train linking Kerala and Konkan regions with southern Tamil Nadu through the 54-km Palakkad Town-Pollachi stretch.
The stretch was broad-gauged last year by spending about Rs.400 crore.
Even the move to extend Thiruvananthapuram-Palakkad Amritha Express to Madurai was dropped at the last minute.
There were promises earlier to operate trains linking Mumbai and Mangalore with Madurai, Rameswaram and Tuticorin through this route.
A Dwarka-Rameswaram Express and a Shornur-Dindigul train were also under consideration. There was also demand for a train through this route linking temple town Guruvayur with Chennai. However, all the proposals have been shelved at least for the time being.
There were higher hopes last year when the route was reopened after closing for eight long years for broad gauging. Now, only two short distance passenger trains are being operated through the route. Travellers are also facing difficulty because the passenger trains are finishing off at Palakkad Town Station without entering Palakkad Junction station. Though signalling-related hiccups at the Palakkad Railway Junction were resolved last month, the passenger trains are not reaching the junction.
Demand from people
People of the region are demanding long distance trains through the route, as it connects pilgrim centres of Pazhani, Madurai, Rameswaram, Velankanni, Ervadi and Thiruchendur with the rest of the country through Palakkad and Pollachi.
The 54-km Palakkad Town-Pollachi gauge conversion was part of the Dindigul-Palani-Pollachi-Palakkad / Podanur gauge conversion project aimed at ensuring better connectivity. The line has eight stations, eight major and 170 minor bridges and is one of the many gauge conversion projects that was carried out in accordance with the policy of uni-gauge to provide seamless connectivity. The Palakkad-Pollachi section is in the Palakkad Division of Southern Railway and the alignment traverses through the districts of Palakkad (Kerala) and Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu).
The Palakkad-Pollachi section forms part of a shorter alternative route from northern and central Kerala to central and southern Tamil Nadu.
Of the 54-km stretch, 22 km is in Tamil Nadu.
The rest is in Kerala, spread between Meenkara dam and Palakkad Town railway station.
“It is high time that the region get new trains especially those that link Mumbai, Mangalore, Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi with southern Tamil Nadu through Palakkad and Pollachi. In the absence of any long-distance train, the gauge conversion remains sheer waste of public money,” said P.S. Panicker, a social activist.
