Big boon for Pathanamthitta; Chengannur-Pamba railway sparks excitement

PATHANAMTHITTA: The high-range terrain of Kerala beamed with excitement on Thursday after the central government expressed readiness for the Chengannur-Pamba railway route. The final location survey of the path was approved just a few days day. The decision was to select the Chengannur-Pamba railway as an alternative to the earlier proposed Angamaly-Erumeli route.

The newly selected route will help devotees reach just four kilometres away from the Sabarimala temple shrine while the Erumeli route would have been 22 km away. The railway station will be constructed near to the revered Pamba River at the foothills of the Sabarimala temple.

The forest area in the premise belongs to Periyar Tiger Reserve and permission will be needed to go ahead with the plan. A proposal has been raised to make a skyway along the coast of the Pampa River. The final decision will be taken after the survey.

• With the construction of the Pampa railway, the road traffic congestion and pollution during the Sabarimala pilgrimage will be solved.

• Thirty lakh vehicles reach Sabarimala during the pilgrimage. With the railway coming, it will be curtains to the traffic snarl in the area.

• Pollution will be reduced by 80%. Freight traffic in hilly areas will benefit from the introduction.

Chengannur to Pamba consists of 90 km. In a normal scenario, it requires 2 hours to reach the destination by road. It is expected a train would easily cover the distance in 50 minutes.

Railway stops: Aranmula, Kozhancherry, Cherukole, Attathodu, Pamba