Kottayam: The much-delayed doubling work on the Ernakulam – Kayamkulam route via Kottayam finally got over with the opening of the 16.7 km parallel line between Ettumanoor-Chingavanam stations on May 29, 2022. The first train along the new ‘down’ line towards Thiruvananthapuram was the Palaruvi Express from Palakkad Junction to Tirunelveli.
It may be recalled that the doubling work of the Ernakulam-Kottayam-Kayamkulam section was started in 2001. The opening of the new line is expected to ensure a smooth passage of trains along the busy stretch between Kayamkulam and Ernakulam via Kottayam apart from reducing the travel time by about 15 minutes.
The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) has currently set a speed limit of 50 km per hour for trains on the new track. This may be increased to 100 kmph in the future.
Kerala Rail News