With Railways getting possession of the last four hectares of land on the Ettumanur-Kottayam-Chingavanam stretch after a delay of 12 years, the doubling of the much-delayed 620-km railway line from Thiruvananthapuram Central to Mangaluru Junction via Kottayam is set to be completed by December 2021.
The work related to the doubling of the 18-km Ettumanur-Kottayam and Kottayam-Chingavanam corridors has already commenced. To ensure that it is completed in 24 months, seven contractors had been entrusted with the civil work estimated to cost ₹250 crore.
As the yards at the Ettumanur and Chingavanam stations had been upgraded for double line, Railways will have to take up doubling of only 16.5 km in the corridor. Once the 16.5-km stretch is commissioned, the 114 km from Kayamkulam Junction to Ernakulam via Kottayam will become double line.
Last corridor
At present, double line is available for train operations in 602 km of the Thiruvananthapuram Central-Kottayam-Mangaluru Junction corridor.
The 8-km Kuruppanthara-Ettumanur double line was the last corridor to be commissioned.
Since 2007, Railways had been seeking from the State Government the four hectares needed for doubling of the Ettumanur-Kottayam-Chingavanam corridor.
“In March 2017, Railways deposited ₹212 crore with the State as the cost of the land to be acquired. Things started moving only last year after the intervention at the highest level. We had to pay an additional ₹14 crore for the land acquired,” a top railway official told The Hindu .
In all, 11.1 hectares of land was acquired on the stretch. The doubling work would take two years. Five bridges have to be constructed in the Ettumanur-Kottayam and Kottayam-Chingavanam corridors,” the official said. Railways had demolished the 65-year-old Nagampadam railway overbridge and constructed a new one at a cost of ₹27.5 crore. The issue with the Kottayam tunnels had been solved with Railways going for rail overbridge and using the existing tunnel for safety works. One of the ROBs on KK Road had been completed and works are on for the second at Kottayam railway station.
The number of platforms in Kottayam station will go up from the present three to five. A second entry would also be set up at the Kottayam railway station.
Award
Meanwhile, the Government has awarded “Good Service Entry’ to Moncy P. Alexander, Special Deputy Collector, LA, Kottayam, and Solly Antony, Special Tahsildar, LA, Railway, Kottayam, for the ‘exemplary work’ done in handing over the four hectares of land.
