KOCHI: The plan to run a steam locomotive as a tourist service from Cochin Harbour Terminus through the Vallarpadam-Edappally railway line had been welcomed by all with great enthusiasm. The plan mooted by the Cochin Port Trust fell flat after a lot of issues cropped up. However, all hopes have not been lost since the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) has expressed an interest in restarting the service.
According to a railway officer who did not want to be named, KTDC officials have approached the Thiruvananthapuram Railway Division on launching a tourist service from the station. “However, the talks are in the preliminary stages,” he said. A lot of things have to be taken into consideration and the project needs to be planned in a meticulous manner before it can be sent up for approval, he said. The Railways had conducted a heritage run, using 164-year-old Express EIR 21 brought in from the Madurai division, on this route for two days in February this year.
According to him, the earlier plan to launch the service in January did not take off over issues like non-commitment of partners. “One of the major problems in starting a service from and to Cochin Harbour Terminus is the railway gate at Vathuruthy,” he said. Unless and until a rail overbridge or an underpass is constructed at this place, the possibility of running a service remains remote, he added.
“The police department will never give permission to close the gate in the daytime due to the heavy traffic on this road,” he said. Another problem is that the Vallarpadam railway link, which is known as the longest rail bridge in India, has only been approved for goods traffic. “To allow passenger traffic, the infringement area and coaches of the proposed tourist service need to conform to the specifications prescribed by the Railway Safety Commission,” he said. However, the Railways is sure that they will be able to achieve the specifications.