Sabari rail line

Last updated
Sabari rail line
Overview
Type Regional rail
Heavy rail
Light rail
Status Construction
(Under progress)
Locale Kerala
Termini Angamaly (AFK)
Erumeli to Punalur
Stations 20 (Proposed)
Services 1
Website www.sr.indianrailways.gov.in
Operation
Owner Indian Railways
Operator(s) Southern Railway zone
Depot(s) Kollam
Ernakulam
Rolling stock WDP-4
Technical
Line length 111 km (69 mi)
Number of tracks 1
Track gauge 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)

Sabari rail line is a proposed 111 kilometres (69 mi) railway line from Angamaly to Erumeli, near Sabarimala that has been sanctioned in the year 1998 by Indian Railways. According to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Kerala State and the Ministry of Railways on January 27, 2016, commercially viable railway projects will be identified and handed over to the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to be fast-tracked on a 51:49 per cent equity basis. SPV has discussed about the extension to Punalur. The current Sabari Rail line is under PMO - Pro active governs and timely implementation (Pragati); will be monitored by the Prime Minister's Office. Another proposal for this railway line is extend to Thiruvananthapuram. If this proposed Sabari railway line is connected to proposed new railway terminal at Nemom near Thiruvananthapuram via Nedumangad, several long distance trains are supposed to be operated from Nemom via Punalur and Angamaly to Chennai/Bangalore and rest of country. Survey for new lines from Madurai Junction to Kottayam and Dindigul Junction to Cumbum lower camp, Kumily to Sabarimala, ettumanoor to pala also started.


Angamaly for Kalady is a railway station in Ernakulam District of Kerala State in India operated by Southern Railway Network. It lies in the Shoranur-Cochin Harbour section of Trivandrum division. Angamaly is the halting point for 46 trains including express and all passenger trains passing through this station. The railway station is located about 26 km from Ernakulam Town and 10 km from Aluva stations.

Indian Railways Indian state-owned enterprise, owned and operated by the Government of India

Indian Railways (IR) is India's national railway system operated by the Ministry of Railways. It manages the fourth-largest railway network in the world by size, with 121,407 kilometres (75,439 mi) of total track over a 67,368-kilometre (41,861 mi) route. Forty nine percent of the routes are electrified with 25 KV AC electric traction while thirty three percent of them are double or multi-tracked.

Punalur railway station

Punalur railway station is located at Nedumkayam, Punalur, Kollam district on the Kollam–Sengottai branch line. The Kollam–Shencottah railway line is the first railway line in erstwhile Travancore state and is more than a century old.
It is an NSG 6 category station.The Kollam–Sengottai section is part of the Kollam–Chennai metre gauge rail route commissioned by the British during 1904. The line which was metre gauge has been converted to broad gauge partially and completion is nearing. Currently the railway line is operational between Kollam Junction and Punalur.

Contents

Background

Sabari Rail line Construction across Periyar river Sabari Rail line Construction 2.jpg
Sabari Rail line Construction across Periyar river

Kerala's government started the land acquisition for the construction of this Sabari railway line project and established special Thahasildhar offices at Perumbavoor and Palai in 2006 and at Muvattupuzha in 2010 for the land acquisition of Sabari railway line. Railway and revenue department has conducted joint survey for the land acquisition of this railway line, laid boundary stone for the acquired land and notification for land acquisition up to proposed Ramapuram railway station in Kottayam district. 90% of railway line construction up to Kaladi railway station 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) was completed by 2010.

Kerala State in southern India

Kerala is a state on the southwestern, Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions. Spread over 38,863 km2 (15,005 sq mi), Kerala is the twenty second largest Indian state by area. It is bordered by Karnataka to the north and northeast, Tamil Nadu to the east and south, and the Lakshadweep Sea and Arabian Sea to the west. With 33,387,677 inhabitants as per the 2011 Census, Kerala is the thirteenth-largest Indian state by population. It is divided into 14 districts with the capital being Thiruvananthapuram. Malayalam is the most widely spoken language and is also the official language of the state.

Perumbavoor Neighbourhood in Ernakulam, Kerala, India

Perumbavoor is a Historic Place located at Bank of Periyar(Poorna River) in Ernakulam District in the Indian state of Kerala. It lies in the North Eastern tip of the Greater Cochin area and is also the headquarters of Kunnathunad Taluk. Perumbavoor is famed in the state for wood industries and small-scale industries. Ernakulam lies 33 km southwest of Perumbavoor. The town lies between Angamaly and Muvattupuzha on the Main Central Road (MC), which connects Thiruvananthapuram to Angamaly through the old Travancore part of Kerala. Perumbavoor lies in the banks of rivers Periyar and Muvattupuzha.

Muvattupuzha Municipal Big Town in Kerala, India

Muvattupuzha is a prominent old town in the midlands directly to the east of Kochi. It is situated at around 40 km (25 mi) from downtown Kochi. The town is a growing urban centre in central Kerala and also an aspiring new district headquarter. The town is also popular as the starting point of Muvattupuzha river which happens by the merging of three rivers – namely Thodupuzhayar, Kaliyar and Kothayar – to form Muvattupuzhayaar. Thus, this Thriveni Sangamam or confluence of three rivers is called Muvattupuzha.

The revenue department of the Government of Kerala completed all formalities of land acquisition in Chelamattom village, Perumbavoor village, Koovapady village, Vengoor West village, Rayamangalam village, Asmannor village (on 19 August 2008) and Muvattupuzha village (on 28 October 2011) and declared the land value of acquired land for this railway line. But land price distribution to the land owners of these villages has not happened due to the lack of funding from the Railway Ministry of the Government of India. Although the Railway board has approved the revised estimate of Angamali- Perumbavoor reach of this railway line ₹203 crore (US$31 million), has not given any fund for the completion of revised estimate approved reach. The Railway board has written to the Kerala government that without 50% of cost sharing by the state government, they could not allocate any further funding to Sabari railway project.The Railways have started the pre-non interlocking works in the Angamali Railway station on August 3, 2017 which aims at connecting the Sabari rail line to the main line of Ernakulam-Shoranur.They also have decided to open the railway offices at Perumbavoor and Muvattupuzha for the fast acquisition of lands.

Idukki, one of the districts in Kerala which has no railway station, will get railway connectivity and two railway stations through the line. The railway line will help the wood–based and rice–based industries concentrated in the Perumbavoor–Kalady area, and the tourist destinations of Ernakulam, Idukki and Kottayam districts.

Ernakulam Downtown in Kerala, India

Ernakulam refers to the central, mainland portion of the city of Kochi in central Kerala, India and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. The Kerala High Court, the office of the Kochi Municipal Corporation and the Cochin Stock Exchange are situated here. The Ernakulam Junction is a major railway station of the Indian Railways. Initially, Ernakulam was the headquarters of the Ernakulam District but was later shifted to Kakkanad. Ernakulam was once the capital of the Kingdom of Cochin. It is located 220 kilometres (137 mi) north-west of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The city has served as an incubator for many Malayali entrepreneurs and is a major financial and commercial hub of Kerala.

Kottayam City in Kerala, India

Kottayam is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative capital of Kottayam district, located in south-west Kerala. It had a population of 136,812 in the city's administrative limits according to the 2011 census. Kottayam is approximately 146 km north of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala's capital city. It was also known as ‘Cotym’ and ‘Cottayam’ during the British Raj.

Stations

Proposed new railway stations in I Phase are Kalady, Perumbavoor, Odakkali, Kothamangalam, Muvattupuzha, Vazhakulam, Thodupuzha, Karimkunnam, Ramapuram, Palai, Erattupetta, Kanjirappally and Erumeli. During II Phase stations at Ranni, Adoor, Pathanamthitta, Konni, Koodal, Pathanapuram will be connected to Punalur and there join Kollam–Sengottai branch line. Since it provides a railway facility to Sabarimala pilgrims and the number of pilgrims visiting Sabarimala temple is more than the total population of Kerala, this railway line was named Sabarimala railway line. It is operated by Thiruvananthapuram division of the Southern Railway zone. [1]

Kalady town in Kerala, India

Kalady or Kaladi is a census town located in Angamaly east of the Periyar river, it is also a village in Aluva Taluk, Ernakulam district of Kerala, India, not far from Cochin International Airport. It is notable as the birthplace of 8th century Indian philosopher and theologian Adi Shankara and is a popular destination for Hindu pilgrims.

Odakkali town in Kerala, India

Odakkali, located at 10.09 North and 76.54 Eastis a village in the Ernakulam district of Kerala State, in southern India. Odakkali is 26.8 km away from Aluva in Aluva Munnar Road.

Kothamangalam Town in Kerala, India

Kothamangalam is a municipality in the eastern part of Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala. The town is in the foothills of the Western Ghats mountain ranges. The highway NH-85 Ernakulam – Madurai – Rameswaram passes through Kothamangalam.

Stations in Phase-1

Vazhakulam town in Kerala, India

Vazhakulam lies east of the town of Muvattupuzha in Ernakulam district on the Muvattupuzha - Thodupuzha road in Kerala, India. This town is famously known as Pineapple City due to large-scale cultivation of pineapple. The town is the largest Asian pineapple market. Kerala Agricultural University established a Pineapple Research Station at Vazhakulam in 1995 to give research support to pineapple farmers. The pineapples cultivated in Vazhakulam has been credited with geographic indication. Today Vazhakulam pineapples are marketed as GI tagged products. Vazhakulam is part of Muvattupuzha Taluk Rice used to be the main crop of this area in the 1960s and 1970s, but the advent of rubber cultivation saw many rice fields and estates being turned into rubber plantations.

Thodupuzha Municipal town in Kerala, India

Thodupuzha is the largest town and municipality in Idukki district in the Kerala state of India, spread over an area of 35.43 km2. Thodupuzha is 57 km (35 mi) from Kottayam and 62 km (39 mi) south east of Kochi. Thodupuzha is 200 km from the state capital, Trivandrum. Geographical classification of Thodupuzha Region is Malanad or Idanad. Thodupuzha is also known as "Hollywood of Kerala" as it is used as a filming location for a large number of Malayalam and Tamil movies.

Karimkunnam (village) village in Kerala, India

Karimkunnam is a village in Idukki district in the Indian state of Kerala.

Stations in Phase-2

Stations in Phase-3

Complete alignment [3]

Sabari railway line

Related Research Articles

Meenachil Taluk in Kerala, India

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Kanjirappally Town in Kerala, India

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Ponkunnam Town in Kerala, India

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Kumily Plantation Town in Kerala, India

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Manathoor small town in Kerala, India

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Koruthodu town/village in Kerala, India

Koruthodu is a village/town in Kanjirappally Taluk, Kottayam District of Kerala state, India. It is situated on the Highway connecting Mundakayam to Sabarimala temple, Kerala, and is at the border of Pathanamthitta, Kottayam and Idukki districts. The nearest town Mundakayam is 13 Kilometers from Koruthodu. The river Azhutha runs through the borders of this village. Nearby locations include Kanamala, Vandanpathal, Mundakkayam and Panakkachira.

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Ernakulam district is blessed with all types of transport. It has the most number of Regional Transport Offices in the state.

The Ernakulam–Kottayam–Kayamkulam line is a railway line which runs through the districts of Ernakulam, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha in Kerala state of India. This railway line starts as a branch line from Ernakulam Junction railway station towards Kottayam and joins with the Ernakulam–Kayamkulam coastal line route via Alappuzha at Kayamkulam Junction. This line comes under the Thiruvananthapuram railway division of Southern Railway Zone of Indian Railways. The line has a total distance of 114 km. The Ernakulam - Kottayam section opened in 1956-57 and Kottayam - Kollam section in 1957.

References

  1. ↑ Radhakrishnan, S. Anil (2 December 2015). "State nod to share Sabari rail costs". The Hindu . Thiruvananthapuram . Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  2. ↑ New India Express, date:29 May/2017, Kottayam Edition
  3. ↑ http://www.sr.indianrailways.gov.in/cris//uploads/files/1450773109216-TVCmap-2015-Model.pdf

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