Nine new daily trains on horizon as Alappuzha rail doubling wins final nod

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The long-awaited doubling of the coastal railway line between Ernakulam and Kayamkulam is finally nearing completion, with the Central Government granting approval for the last remaining single-track stretch between Alappuzha and Mararikulam.

The clearance for this 10.65-kilometre section removes the final bottleneck on the coastal corridor. Targeted for completion by December 2027, the fully doubled network is expected to allow the introduction of up to nine new daily trains. Since the Alappuzha route is 17 kilometres shorter than the interior route via Kottayam, passengers travelling to Thiruvananthapuram will see a substantial reduction in travel times.

Beyond passenger convenience, the infrastructure upgrade will significantly boost freight capacity, enabling the transport of an additional 28.8 lakh tonnes of cargo annually. Currently, trains on the Alappuzha route face regular delays, often being detained for crossings or forced to slow down to an average speed of 40 km/h. The completion of the double track will eliminate these scheduling conflicts.

With both the Kottayam and Alappuzha routes fully doubled, the rail network between Ernakulam and Kayamkulam will effectively function as a four-line system, bringing major relief to daily commuters travelling between Ernakulam and Kollam.

23-Year Journey

The realisation of a double line along the coast concludes an arduous developmental journey spanning over two decades. The project was initially sanctioned in 2003 to double the 100-kilometre Kayamkulam-Ernakulam coastal track. However, progress ground to a halt in 2018 when the project was shelved due to escalating cost estimates.

The initiative was revived in 2023, starting with the completion of the 31-kilometre Kayamkulam-Ambalappuzha section. Since then, clearances for the remaining patches have been granted in quick succession. The Ernakulam-Kumbalam section received the green light in December 2023, followed by the Kumbalam-Thuravoor stretch in 2024.

The momentum carried into 2026, with the Ambalappuzha-Alappuzha reach approved in February and the Thuravoor-Mararikulam section cleared in March. The latest sanction for the Alappuzha-Mararikulam link officially marks the final administrative milestone for the coastal line's expansion.