Status Operational Stations 20 | Locale Kerala Owner Indian Railways | |
Native name എറണാകുളം-കായംകുളം തീരദേശ തീവണ്ടി പാത Type Regional rail
Light rail Termini Ernakulam Junction
Kayamkulam Junction | ||
Ernakulam–Kayamkulam coastal railway line is a railway line which runs along the coastal areas of Alappuzha, Ernakulam districts in Kerala state of India. The coastal railway line starts as a branch line from Ernakulam Junction railway station towards Alappuzha and joins with the route via Kottayam at Kayamkulam Junction. The coastal railway line has a total distance of 100 km.
Contents
History
The initial survey for the Ernakulam–Kayamkulam railway line via Alappuzha was started in 1975. The initial proposed alignment of the railway line from Ernakulam Junction to Alappuzha has been changed after protests from various quarters. The final alignment of the route which was approved was Ernakulam–Konthuruty–Nettor–Kumbalam–Aroor–Cherthala–Alappuzha. The construction of railway line was started on 15 April 1979 and the construction has been divided into two reaches as Ernakulam–Alappuzha reach and Alappuzha–Kayamkulam reach.
Ernakulam–Alappuzha section
The construction of this coastal railway line in Ernakulam Junction–Alappuzha railway station section was started in 1979. Around 140 hectares of land was acquired for laying the railway lines. 11 new railway stations and 6 major bridges has been constructed along this route. The total cost outlay was 7 crores and the total length of the railway line is 54 km. The line was opened to railway traffic on 16 October 1989.
Alappuzha–Kayamkulam section
The construction of Alappuzha–Kayamkulam section was started as part of second phase of coastal railway development and the alignment was via Alappuzha–Punnapra–Ambalappuzha–Haripad–Kayamkulam. The total length of the railway line was 45 km and the line was opened to railway traffic on 1992. Thus the Ernakulam Junction–Alappuzha coastal railway line has been connected to Kayamkulam Junction railway station–Kollam Junction main railway line.
Stations
There are 18 stations along this route. Alappuzha, Cherthala, Haripad, Ambalappuzha stations are the major stations along this route.
Electrification & track doubling
Ernakulam Junction–Alappuzha–Kayamkulam railway line is fully electrified. The double line work on 13 km Kayamkulam–Haripad section has been completed and the double line track was commissioned in January 2012. The track doubling work for Haripad–Ernakulam Junction is currently in progress.
Rail traffic
The Ernakulam–Alappuzha–Kayamkulam coastal railway line has 20 express trains and 7 passenger trains running along this route.
Trains connecting the cities of Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi are increasingly preferring this route to the one via Kottayam because this route is shorter and saves considerable amount of time in reaching these cities. Major trains like Thiruvananthapuram-Kozhikode Jan Shatabdi Express and Thiruvananthapuram-Delhi Rajdhani Express run via Alappuzha.