Kollam–Sengottai branch line

Kollam–Sengottai branch line
Meter Gauge Train passing through Thirteen- Arch Railway Bridge
Overview
Type	Regional rail Light rail
Status	Partly Operational
Locale	Tamil Nadu Kerala
Termini	Kollam Junction Sengottai
Stations	17
Services	7
Website	www.sr.indianrailways.gov.in
Operation
Opened	26 November 1904 (1904-11-26)
Owner	Indian Railways
Operator(s)	Southern Railway zone
Depot(s)	Kollam Ernakulam Golden Rock
Technical
Line length	88.7 km (55.1 mi)
Number of tracks	1
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) (Kollam Junction – Punalur section)
Old gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in)
Loading gauge	4,725 mm × 3,660 mm (15 ft 6.0 in × 12 ft 0.1 in) (BG)[1]
Operating speed	31 km/h (19 mph)
Route number	63[2]
Route map Legend km to Trivandrum Central 0 Kollam Junction to Kayamkulam Junction TVC MDU limits 6 Kilikollur 8 Chandanattop Halt 13 Kundara 15 Kundara East 19 Ezhukone 25 Kottarakara 30 Kuri 37 Auvaneeswarem 45 Punalur Kallada River 55 Edamann 63 Ottakkal 66 Thenmala 13 arch bridge Achankoil River 70 Kazhuthurutti Halt 77 Edapalayam 79 Aryankavu Kerala Tamil Nadu 87 Bhagavathipuram 93 Sengottai 102 Tenkasi Junction to Virudhunagar Junction to Tirunelveli Junction

The Kollam–Sengottai branch line (formerly known as Quilon–Shencottah or Quilon–Chenkotta line) is a railway line in South India which connects Kollam Junction in Kerala state and Sengottai (also spelled Shenkottai, Chengottai, Chenkottai, Senkottai) in Tamil Nadu. The Quilon–Shencottah railway line was the first railway line in the erstwhile Travancore state and is more than a century old. The Kollam–Sengottai section is part of the Kollam–Chennai meter gauge rail route commissioned by the British in 1904. The line has been partially converted to broad gauge. Currently, the railway line is operational from Kollam Junction to Punalur.

History

Railways in Kerala cities
Cities & connected years 1861 - Kozhikode 1898 - Palakkad 1902 - Kochi 1902 - Thrissur 1904 - Kollam 1907 - Kannur 1907 - Kasargod 1918 - Thiruvananthapuram 1958 - Kottayam 1989 - Alappuzha
Railway lines Kundala Valley Railway Kollam–Sengottai branch line Ernakulam-Kayamkulam coastal railway line Kollam-Thiruvananthapuram trunk line Shoranur–Cochin Harbour section Jolarpettai–Shoranur line Shoranur–Mangalore section Guruvayur–Thrissur spur line Nilambur–Shoranur railway line

The Kollam-Sengottai metre gauge line was conceived and implemented by Maharajah Uthram Thirunal of Travancore. The railway line was built jointly by South Indian Railway Company, Travancore State and the Madras Presidency. After a survey in 1888, work started in 1900 and was completed by 1902. The first goods train travelled on this route in 1902 while the first passenger train began its run in 1904. Meter gauge services were inaugurated on 1 July 1904 with the first passenger train flagged off from Kollam by Maharajah Moolam Thirunal of Travancore with a 21-gun salute. The railway line was constructed by the British in the foothills of the Western Ghats to transport forest products, spices and cashews from Kollam to Chennai, their southern headquarters.

About the route

The route was once a lifeline for the people of the southern districts of Kerala state and the Sengottai-Virudhunagar belt of Tamil Nadu. It served to create a strong link especially among the trading community of these areas in the two States. British tea estates and coffee plantations thrived on the labour of tribesman living in the Thenmala forests and workers from Tamil Nadu. The railway line contributed much to the development of a plantation economy in this area. The farmers of the Shencottah-Virudhunagar belt depended on the trains to market their produce in south Travancore. Huge quantities of vegetables, groceries and dairy products such as curd were brought into Kollam district from Tamil Nadu by trains that plied the route. The Palaruvi and Kazhuthurutti waterfalls and the Thenmala eco-tourism centre are on the fringes of this line, and the Courtallam waterfalls at the destination make this route popular with nature lovers.^[3]

Notable Landmarks on the route

View of 13 Kannara Bridge

• 13 Kannara Bridge

The 13 Kannara bridge or 13 Arch Bridge (Pathimoonu kannara palam) is a 108–year–old bridge at Kazhathuruthi. The bridge consists of 13 arches and is a major landmark on the Kollam-Sengottai railway line as well as a testimony to the architectural abilities of the British. The bridge connects two hillocks and stands on thirteen granite pillars each almost a hundred feet tall. Sandwiched by the Kollam-Thirumangalam National Highway on one side and the River Kazhuthurutti on the other, the bridge is 102.72 metres (337.0 ft) long and 5.18 metres (17.0 ft) tall.

• Aryankavu-Puliyara (Kottavasal) tunnel

The Aryankavu tunnel links Aryankavu in Kerala with Bhagavathipuram in Tamil Nadu. The tunnel was completed in 1903 and is 680 metres (2,230 ft) long. On both sides of the tunnel, the conch shell symbol of the Travancore rulers has been imprinted.

Popular Meter Gauge Trains on the route

• Train No:6105/6106 (Earlier 105/106) Kollam-Chennai Egmore Mail

This train was introduced in 1904 after the completion of Quilon-Sengottai-Virudhunagar meter gauge line and was flagged off by then Maharaja of Travancore, Moolam Thirunal. The train was later renamed the Quilon-Madras mail. The train was extended to Trivandrum in 1918 after completion of the Quilon-Trivandrum meter gauge line. This train was one of the early meter gauge trains to have an air conditioned coach and First Class. The train was truncated at Quilon after Kollam -Trivandrum Central meter gauge track was converted to broad gauge in 1979. The train by through Madurai junction railway station from 1996 via Manamadurai Junction when Virudhunagar-Madurai line was converted to broad gauge. The train was discontinued in June 2000.

• Train No:6383/6384 Tirunelveli -Kollam Express
• Sengottai-Kollam passenger

This passenger train was the main means of transport among office workers and students along this route.

Broad Gauge Conversion

The Punalur-Sengottai section is part of the 325-km Kollam- Sengottai-Tenkasi- Tirunelveli- Thiruchendur gauge conversion project and part of the Tenkasi- Virudhunagar trunk route to Chennai. The gauge conversion of the Sengottai- Thiruchendur section has been completed and is open to traffic.

Kollam - Punalur section

The Kollam Junction -Punalur meter gauge railway line to broad gauge conversion works foundation stone was laid in 1998 at Punalur. Services on the Punalur-Kollam metre gauge section were withdrawn on 1 May 2007, to facilitate the gauge conversion work. The gauge conversion took almost 11 years to complete after the foundation stone was laid. The 44 km line was converted to broad gauge and inaugurated on 10 May 2010. Passenger train services connecting Punalur to Kollam, Madurai, Guruvayur, and Kanyakumari are currently operational in this route.^[2]

Punalur - Sengottai section

To facilitate the gauge conversion work on the Punalur-Sengottai section, train services on the section were withdrawn in September 2010.The 49.2-km Punalur-Sengottai section gauge conversion works is in progress currently and expected to get completed by 2016.^[4] Sections like Punalur-Edamon reach and Sengottai-Bhagavathipuram reach have been completed recently.

Stations

The Railway stations in Kollam Junction - Sengottai railway line are

See also

• Tenkasi Junction
• Tirunelveli Junction

References

Railways in Southern India
National network / trunk lines	Howrah–Chennai main line New Delhi–Chennai main line Mumbai–Chennai line
Other lines / sections	Chennai Central–Bangalore City line Chennai Egmore–Thanjavur main line Chord Line Coimbatore–Shoranur railway line Gudivada–Bhimavaram section Gudivada–Machilipatnam branch line Guntakal–Chennai Egmore section Guntur–Macherla section Guntur–Repalle section Jolarpettai–Shoranur line Kazipet–Vijayawada section Kollam–Sengottai branch line Kollam–Thiruvananthapuram trunk line Khurda Road–Visakhapatnam section Kothavalasa–Kirandul line Manamadurai–Virudhunagar line Mysore–Bangalore railway line Mysore–Chamarajanagar branch line Nagpur–Hyderabad line Nilambur–Nanjangud rail line (Proposed) Nilambur–Shoranur railway line Nilgiri Mountain Railway Palakkad–Pollachi line Pagidipalli–Nallapadu railway line Peralam–Karaikal line Sabari railway line (Proposed) Shimoga–Talaguppa railway Shoranur–Cochin Harbour section Shoranur–Mangalore section Solapur–Guntakal section Vijayawada–Chennai section Vijayawada–Guntur section Visakhapatnam–Vijayawada section Ernakulam–Kayamkulam coastal railway line Guntakal–Vasco da Gama section Pune–Miraj–Londa line Bangalore–Arsikere–Hubli line Pamban–Dhanushkodi branch line (Defunct)
Urban and suburban rail transport	Chennai Chennai Suburban Railway Chennai Mass Rapid Transit System Chennai Metro Hyderabad Multi-Modal Transport System Hyderabad Metro Rail Bangalore Bangalore Commuter Rail Namma Metro Kochi Kochi Metro
Monorails	Bangalore Chennai Coimbatore Kozhikode Tiruchirappalli Thiruvananthapuram
Defunct railways	Cochin State Forest Tramway Kundala Valley Railway
Railway divisions	Bangalore Chennai Bangalore Hubli Madurai Mysore Palakkad Salem Thiruvananthapuram Tiruchirappalli
Named trains	Ahilya Nagari Express Ajmer–Hyderabad Meenakshi Express Andaman Express Amritha Express Anantapuri Express Andhra Pradesh Express Bangalore City–Ernakulam Intercity Express Bangalore Rajdhani Express Bhagmati Express Brindavan Express Chalukya Express Chamundi Express Charminar Express Chemmozhi Express Chennai Rajdhani Express Chennai–Alleppey Express Chennai Central–Coimbatore Shatabdi Express Chennai Hazrat Nizamuddin Duronto Express Chennai–Jaipur Express Chennai–Madurai Duronto Express Chennai–Mysore Shatabdi Express Chennai Thiruvananthapuram AC Duronto Express Chennai Egmore–Mangalore Central Express Chennai Central–Vijayawada Jan Shatabdi Express Cheran Express Cholan Express Circar Express Cocanada AC Express Coimbatore–Chennai Express Coimbatore–Jaipur Express Coimbatore–Nagercoil Express Coimbatore–Tuticorin Link Express Coimbatore–Rameswaram Express Coromandel Express Ernad Express Ernakulam–H.Nizamudin Duronto Falaknuma Express Ganga Kaveri Express Godavari Express Gol Gumbaz Express Golconda Express Golden Chariot Goutami Express Grand Trunk Express Guruvayur Express Hampi Express Himsa Express Himsagar Express Hirakud Express Howrah–Chennai Mail Howrah–Kanyakumari Express Hussainsagar Express Hyderabad–Pune Express Indore–Yesvantpur Express Island Express Janmabhoomi Express Kanyakumari Express Kanyakumari–Mumbai Express Kaveri Express Kerala Express Krishna Express Kollam–Visakhapatnam Express Kongu Express Kovai Express Lal Bagh Express Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Ernakulam Duronto Express Malabar Express Mangala Lakshadweep Express Mangalore Yaswanthpur Express Manikarnika Express Mannai express Marusagar Express Matsyaganda Express Maveli Express Mayiladuthurai–Mysore Express Mumbai CST Chennai Express Mysore–Tuticorin Express Nagarjuna Express Nagercoil Passenger Nagavali Express Narayanadri Express Navjivan Express Navyug Express Nellai Express Netravati Express Nilgiri Express Pallavan Express Pandian Express Parasuram Express Pearl City Express Pinakini Express Poorna Express Pothigai Express Pune–Ernakulam Express Rajkot–Coimbatore Express Rani Chennamma Express Raptisagar Express Rockfort Express Sabari Express Samata Express Sanghamithra Express Satavahana Express Secunderabad Hazrat Nizamuddin Duronto Express Secunderabad Rajdhani Express Secunderabad Mumbai Duronto Express Sharavati Express Sethu Express Silambu Express Simhapuri Express Tamil Nadu Express Tea Garden Express Thirukural Express Tippu Express Tirumala Express Tiruchirappalli–Howrah Superfast Express Tiruchirappalli–Mayiladuthurai Express Tiruchirappalli–Tirunelveli Intercity Express Thiruvananthapuram Mail Thiruvananthapuram–Indore Express Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express Udyan Express Uzhavan Express Vanchinad Express Venad Express Visakha Express Visakhapatnam–Secunderabad Duronto Express Visakhapatnam–Secunderabad Garib Rath Express West coast express Yesvantpur Puducherry Garib Rath Express Yelagiri express Yercaud Express
Manufacturing units / workshops / sheds	Integral Coach Factory Rail Wheel Factory Golden Rock Railway Workshop Diesel Loco Shed, Golden Rock Kollam MEMU Shed
Railway zones	South Central Railway Southern Railway South Western Railway
Railway companies	Konkan Railway Corporation Kerala Monorail Corporation East Coast State Railway Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway Hyderabad–Godavari Valley Railways Madras Railway Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway
Agitations and accidents	1928 South Indian railway strike 1932 Madras and Southern Mahratta railway strike 1974 railway strike in India 1988 Kollam Peruman train accident Nellore train fire
See also	Indian Railways Bholu (mascot) Transport in Guntur Madras Time Thiruvananthapuram–Mangalore high-speed passenger corridor Annual passenger earnings details of railway stations in Kerala
Railways in India portal