Thiruvananthapuram: The railways are yet to take steps to equip the Kollam-Punalur-Sengottai ghat route to handle 22-coach trains by extending platforms of major railway stations . Recently, platforms of Aryankavu and Ezhukone railway stations were extended to accommodate 18-coach trains so that the express train from Kollam to Chennai Egmore can be operated. However, there is no move yet after surveys were conducted to extend the platforms of the stations further to accommodate longer Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) trains, which have 22-24 coaches.
A successful trial run has revealed that the route is capable of supporting trains with 24 coaches , including Vistadome trains, indicating potential upgrades in the future. Kollam-Sengottai Railway passengers association secretary Dipu Ravi said railways should start the work now to increase the passenger capacity of the trains. “"Only two stations — Punalur and Avaneeswaram railway stations — have platforms for 22-coach trains.
The platforms need to be extended for the rest of the stations to 570m.” Kundara, Kottarakara, platform one of Avaneeswaram, Aryankavu, and Thenmala will need extensions to run express trains that have more coaches. In Jan, the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) held a trial using 22 LHB coaches, including a Vistadome coach, along the ghat route to understand if the line is safe to run longer trains.
The railways are also considering increasing the speed of trains to 80kmph as the line has been electrified. A railway official said platforms will be extended based on patronage and the requirement to allot stoppages for trains. “The platforms of Aryankavu and Ezhukone were extended recently.
The platforms were 270m long and now extended to 415m. More stations will be taken up based on demand. For the time being the route is approved for 18-coach trains.
” Ravi says that it would be better to carry out the infrastructure augmentation without delay as the route has a lot of potential for express trains and passenger trains. “Railways should also resume Tambaram-Kochuveli AC express train via Sengottai,” he added. First commissioned in 1903, the Punalur-Sengottai ghat route, which has the famed 113-arch bridge, was converted into a broad gauge and was commissioned in 2018.
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