Union government clears final survey for doubling of Palakkad–Pollachi–Podanur railway line

Coimbatore: The Union government has approved the final location survey (FLS) for the proposed doubling of the Palakkad–Pollachi–Podanur railway line, aimed at easing rail congestion between Palakkad and Coimbatore and increasing train services along the busy corridor.Several trains connecting cities such as Madurai, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Dindigul, Tiruchendur, Tenkasi, Tirunelveli and Palakkad currently operate on the Pollachi–Coimbatore route, making it an important railway link in the region. Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw conveyed the approval for the survey through a letter to minister of state for information and broadcasting L Murugan. Speaking on the development, T Krishna Balaji, secretary of the Pollachi Train Passengers Welfare Association, said the Centre had approved the final survey to convert the Palakkad–Kollengode–Anaimalai Road–Pollachi–Kinathukadavu–Podanur railway line into a double-track corridor. He said that as part of the project, Anaimalai Road railway station may be upgraded into a crossing station, while there is a strong possibility of establishing new railway stations at Kovilpalayam and Chettipalayam. Railway observers noted that the existing Palakkad–Walayar–Madukkarai–Podanur route passes through forest areas. The proposed alignment through Pollachi is expected to reduce dependence on the forest stretch and help minimize incidents of elephants being hit by trains. Although the route through Pollachi is about 40km longer, officials said the increased speed of trains on the upgraded line would ensure that there would be no major change in passenger train timings. Balaji added that the doubling project would enable the operation of more trains, while increased freight movement on the corridor would also strengthen rail connectivity between Kerala and western parts of Tamil Nadu, boosting infrastructure development and economic activity in the region. Railway officials said the final location survey (FLS) would pave the way for a detailed technical assessment and alignment planning for the project. As the survey has been sanctioned, detailed fieldwork will begin shortly. Once the survey is completed, the project will move to the stage of administrative approval and work sanction, they added.