Vacated BPCL depot opens up Railway pit line possibilities for Malabar at Kannur

Kannur (Kerala): The prospect of establishing a railway pit line in Malabar has gained major momentum in Kannur following the complete vacation of the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) fuel depot. Railway officials state that with the obstacle cleared, a proposal to construct a pit line alongside a fourth platform can now be submitted to the Railway Board, provided local public representatives exert necessary political pressure.

An earlier demand for a pit line was shelved years ago citing land constraints. At present, the Palakkad Division possesses full pit line facilities only in Mangaluru, which features three units, including a newly built facility to maintain 20-coach Vande Bharat trains.

However, if the Mangaluru region is formally decoupled and merged into the Mysore Division under South Western Railway, the Palakkad Division stands to lose those assets, leaving it with only a small pit line at Shoranur and an under-construction, slow-progressing facility at Palakkad Town.

Growth potential for Kannur

Previously, oil was transferred to the BPCL storage facility from wagons stationed on track number six at Kannur station via an underground pipeline. This infrastructure prevented pit line construction for years. With BPCL relocating its operations, space has cleared to build a facility capable of servicing and maintaining trains with up to 25 coaches.

A pit line serves as an essential maintenance workshop for washing and servicing train coaches. Because long-distance trains require mandatory maintenance after covering specified distances, Indian Railways primarily allocates new services to stations equipped with pit line facilities. Currently, the nine trains originating from Kannur only receive basic cleaning and water refilling.

Advantages if a pit line is constructed in Kannur

• Trains currently terminating at Kannur could be extended to Kasaragod or Mangaluru.
• Multiple new long-distance services could originate directly from Kannur.
• Facilities in the Thiruvananthapuram Division (such as Kochuveli, Thiruvananthapuram Central and Ernakulam) already house large pit lines capable of servicing over 10 trains.

A history of delays and neglect

The demand for a pit line and additional platforms at Kannur has faced decades of administrative delays.

2009: Following directions from then Union Minister of State for Railways E Ahamed, an expert team inspected Kannur station in June and recommended establishing a pit line parallel to the ‘shunting neck’ at the northern end of the station.

2011: Although Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a survey for the Thalassery–Mysuru route, the pit line project was excluded from the Railway Budget despite detailed project reports awaiting board approval.

2012: The project was shelved. A ₹14 crore proposal for a 24-coach pit line remained frozen at Southern Railway’s zonal office in Chennai. Following media attention, E Ahamed intervened to clarify that the fourth platform and pit line plans were not abandoned.

2016: The technical wing prepared fresh estimates, but Railways cited the BPCL underground pipeline as an obstacle.

2020: MP K Sudhakaran announced that Union Minister of State for Railways K H Muniyappa had directed the board to proceed with construction after BPCL ceased operations, yet progress remained on paper.

Currently, expansion at Kannur station remains constrained across three platforms. Although a second entry on the eastern side has been constructed, passengers must traverse footbridges with narrow staircases to reach platforms two and three.

Meanwhile, Kannur South station possesses 4.5 acres of land with stabling line facilities. In 2023, Railway Passenger Amenities Committee Chairman P K Krishnadas announced plans to develop Kannur South into a second terminal for the city.