26 years of wait coming to an end: This large railway development project will benefit Kerala too; travel time to be reduced by hours

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There is nothing more frustrating for travellers than having their train held up only to let another train pass. This situation is often created by single lanes. The railway development project which will reduce travel time by hours and benefit the Malayalees is becoming a reality.

The doubling of the Chennai-Kanniyakumari railway line, which will benefit the southern districts of Tamil Nadu including Kanniyakumari, is nearing its completion. After 26 long years, the project is coming to fruition. The completion of the project will also bring great benefits to the commuters of southern Kerala. The journey on the Chennai Kanyakumari route will be reduced by at least an hour. The southern districts of Kerala will benefit from this too as the travel time of trains running to Kerala through this route will be reduced.

Line doubling up to Madurai was completed in 2021. The construction of the Madurai, Tirunelveli, Nagercoil and Kanyakumari lines started later, but the construction was delayed due to crises including the spread of Covid. At present, all construction work and trial runs have been completed. Once the green light is given by the Railways, the services will start on the double track.

The main advantage is that with the dual line becoming a reality, the travel time will be reduced by an hour. Another advantage is that more trains can be run by avoiding delays because of halting of trains.

How is it beneficial for Malayalis?

No need to think about how a dual line in Tamil Nadu will benefit Kerala. As the travel time via Madurai is longer, most of the passengers are currently going to Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam via Palakkad. As the travel time via Madurai gets reduced, more people will switch to this route. The new line will bring great relief as it is often difficult to get tickets on trains via Palakkad during festive seasons.