KOCHI: Finally, things seem to be moving forward on the Thuravoor-Mararikulam, Maraikulam-Ambalapuzha, and Ambalapuzha-Alappuzha railway track doubling projects. Southern Railway’s Thiruvananthapuram division has invited tenders for earthwork between Cherthala-Mararikulam, Mararikulam-Alappuzha and Alappuzha-Ambalapuzha stations.
Track-doubling work on these stretches was sanctioned by the Railways in February and March. However, no deadline has been set for completion of work, Southern Railway said in a right-to-information (RTI) reply.
In February, seven projects were cleared for DPR surveys. This was notified by Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw in the Lok Sabha. “This is welcome news,” said Edwin Mathew, who commutes to Ernakulam daily from Kayamkulam.
“As of now, doubling works have been progressing on the Ernakulam-Kumbalam stretch. However, it should be noted that a delay in the work is making travel on this route woeful.
With just a single line operational, passenger trains get sacrificed for express and Vande Bharat services. Passenger trains get held up at Thuravoor or Mararikulam stations for more than 30 minutes,” he added. A train packed with passengers and a lengthy halt – not a great combination for travel, said Edwin.
According to an RTI reply, doubling work on the 7.71km-long Ernakulam-Kumbalam stretch is progressing, with commissioning set for December 2029. Southern Railway said the project has been allocated `120 crore for 2026-27. As per the current status, the deadline for Kumbalam-Thuravoor doubling (15.59km) is December 2027.
Projects cleared for DPR survey
Shoranur-Mangalore (3rd and 4th line, 307km)
Coimbatore-Shoranur (3rd and 4th line, 99km)
Shoranur-Ernakulam (3rd line, 106km); Ernakulam-Kayamkulam via Kottayam (3rd line, 115km)
Kayamkulam-T’Puram (3rd line, 105km)
T’Puram-Nagercoil (3rd line, 71km)
Thuravoor-Ambalapuzha doubling (48km)