Kozhikode–Mangaluru track now ready for 130 kmph as rail upgrade gains pace in Kerala
Kannur: Indian Railways has expedited work to increase train speeds on important railway lines in Kerala. The Kozhikode–Mangaluru route is now ready for trains to run at 130 kmph. Work is also progressing to upgrade the Shoranur–Kozhikode stretch for the same speed. A trial run using the Oscillation Monitoring System (OMS) was held on the Shoranur–Mangaluru line to check the strength and condition of the tracks.
Speed increased on southern routes
The train speed on the Thiruvananthapuram–Kayamkulam and Kayamkulam–Ernakulam (via Alappuzha) routes has already been raised to 110 kmph.
Kerala’s Palakkad and Thiruvananthapuram railway divisions have the least delay among all 68 divisions in India. Their train punctuality rates are 95.9% and 91.3% respectively. The goal is to improve this to 100%.
What steps are being taken to improve speed?
Railways has taken several steps to increase train speed:
- Double distant signals: A third signal is being installed to help manage trains better.
- Loop line speed upgrade: Thick Web Switch (TWS) technology is used in loop lines to raise speed from 30 to 50 kmph.
- Stronger and longer rails: Old 13-metre rails are being replaced by 260-metre-long rails. New rails weigh 60 kg per metre, replacing the older 52 kg ones.
- Curve straightening: The Shoranur–Mangaluru route (307 km) has 288 curves being straightened. The Thiruvananthapuram–Shoranur stretch has 76 small curves being improved.
Focus on fixing slow sections
- Work is ongoing on the Ernakulam Jn–Vallathol Nagar section (103 km), which is one of the slowest routes in the state. Automatic signals are being installed to reduce train halts.
- The Kuttippuram–Pallippuram stretch still runs at 85–90 kmph because of sharp curves. Plans to improve this are in progress.
- The Ambalappuzha–Ernakulam route (via Alappuzha) is still a single-line stretch, which slows down train movement. Work to upgrade this section is also underway.
Kerala train routes: Distance and current speed
- Thiruvananthapuram–Kayamkulam: 105 km | 110 kmph
- Kayamkulam–Ernakulam (via Alappuzha): 100 km | 110 kmph
- Kayamkulam–Ernakulam (via Kottayam): 115 km | 100 kmph
- Ernakulam–Shoranur: 107 km | 80 kmph
- Shoranur–Kozhikode: 86 km | 110 kmph
- Kozhikode–Mangaluru: 221 km | 110 kmph