Ettumanoor Kottayam Chingavanam Railway Track Doubling Update as of 7th April 2022

Ettumanoor Kottayam Chingavanam Railway Track Doubling Update as of 7th April 2022

[philtoms]

I have been always passionate about rail travel as well as railway construction projects ever since our father took us on several train journeys to his place of work and back during school vacations. Being a Graduate Civil Engineer myself, one of the greatest of my wish was to see the Ernakulam Kottayam Kollam Trivandrum railway track doubling and electrification completed. I have been in Railway construction projects in North East India for many years before pursuing a career in Middle East. However a double track electric train journey between Ernakulam and Trivandrum remained a dream for long. At last, after three to four decades of dreaming and hoping, it is about to materialise soon. Approximately 90% of the track laying is completed, Electrical works and stringing too almost 60/70% complete. Reinforced Cement Concrete works remaining to be completed only at the historic Kottayam tunnels where retaining walls are yet to finish, would certainly take another month. I posted a video on 29th of December 2021. Many people urged me to upload more videos of the progress of rail doubling works. Quite a few rail enthusiasts like me posted videos on a regular basis and I keenly followed each and every one of them. I could not post another video of the progress of works as I never travelled in between on Rail to my hometown Thiruvalla from Ernakulam or the other way. However today I decided not to drive to Thiruvalla and travel by train. I had to wait 20 minutes stuck at Ettumanoor station before I could start capturing the video due to the single track and trains crossing menace, which has frustrated me for decades. Appreciation to all the Railway Construction Engineers and other personnel as well as the various Contractors and Engineers for the accomplishment of work progress over the last three months. The progress in work and the quality of construction over the last three months is unprecedented in Kerala's railway history. If this progress was obtained by earlier, Contractors and Engineers we could have had this double electrified rail line completed in just two to three years but not the long twenty years (not forgetting the land aquisition issues which could be unique to Kerala). Budget too is to be blamed more as Kerala has always historically suffered heavily for decades due to vindictive and non supportive centre as well as ignorant MP's who lack vision and are not effective. These MP's would come with paid photographers to picturise and publish and claim all development as their own, nothing more, thinking the hapless public would believe so. No doubt commissioning of this line would substantially increase the number of trains on this line and thus boost tourism in Kerala in a huge way.
What we need is not prohibitively expensive "Udaippp" unsustainable projects like "KRail" (certainly would turn out to be huge economical disaster) which is meant, just to loot and squander tax payers money, that too in incompatible "Standard gauge(1.485 Metre)" (that too after four decades of Unigauge project for unification of Gauges from Metere Gauge (1.00 Metre) and Narrow Gauge ( 0.76 Metre & 0.61 Metre) to Broad Gauge(1.676 Metre), now we are doomed with the thought of an all new Standard Gauge, just in Kerala, which is laughable).
Kozhikkode/Nilambur (Onward to Mysore) as well as Tripunithura to Bodinaykkannur (Onward to Madurai) are must build Rail lines for Kerala's Railway Development and Inter State connectivity to Central and Eastern India. Metro Man E. Sreedharan's expertise too needs to be utilised by Kerala to build these above lines without environmental issues through long tunnels as suggested by him.
We also need to build rail lines like Mumbai's Central Railway's and Western Railway's systems, i.e. One Coastal and One Central Parallel Double Electrified lines in Kerala. We need Rail and Trains for the masses not just the elite class, so that they common people can go to work and return home every day.MEMU's are the best for this and double electrified lines help MEMU's to carry more people without any delay profitably.
We need to connect the missing link along MC Road, i.e. Chengannur to Kottarakkara and Nemam with a double electrified line with a spur line to Kaniyuapuram/Kazhakootam from Venjaramood, as well as connect the missing coastal link from Edappally to Tirur/Tirunavaya via Guruvayoor with a spur line to Thrisoor/ Ollur from Tripryar or so, both double electrified.
Forget "KRail" which is never ever going to come and would be a impending disaster if at all, it ever materialises, however the opposition to KRail might affect these above certainly required projects too which would certainly be very worrying.
US has over 13000 air strips, we need to build an air strip of 2 KM length in every District first, later in every Municipality and popularise light aircraft, microlight aircraft, corporate jets carrying 10, 20, 30 people as well as air ambulances etc. and flying clubs to encourage young guys to take up flying and become pilots. In a state like Kerala where land is hugely expensive and unavailable due to its thick population, we need to take to air, rather than evacuate people from their homes and call it development.

[parthanparthan]

excellent coverage.. thank you sir...keep going waiting for the next video

[joerose]

Good Video, hopefully June 1st we will be able to travel through the second line.

[RahulRaj-fklg]

Good progress in the last couple of months, thanks for sharing the update 🙏.

[gireeshbabuarackal]

Thank you. Good video.
2011 ൽ കോട്ടയത്ത് അനുവദിച്ച കോച്ച് ടെർമിനൽ ഇരട്ടപ്പാതയ്ക്കൊപ്പം അന്നത്തെ എം.പി. പ്രസ്താവിച്ചത്. എം.പി.മാർ മനസുവച്ചിരുന്നുവെങ്കിൽ 4 പ്രതിദിന എക്സ്പ്രസ് ഉൾപ്പെടെ പത്തോളം ടെയിനുകൾ കോട്ടയത്തു നിന്നും സർവ്വീസ് തുടങ്ങാനാകുമായിരുന്നു. കോട്ടയം സ്‌റ്റേഷന്റെയും പട്ടണത്തിന്റെയും വികസനത്തിനും കോട്ടയം സ്‌റ്റേഷനെ ആശ്രയിക്കുന്ന റിസർവേഷൻ ലഭിക്കാതെ വിഷമിക്കുന്ന വടക്കൻ സംസ്ഥാനങ്ങളിലേക്കുള്ള
ആയിരക്കണക്കിനു യാത്രക്കാർക്ക് സുഗമമായ യാത്ര തരപ്പെടുന്നതിനും കാരണമാകുമായിരുന്നു.

[roneymannanal]

Kottayam - Ettumanur section civil works is almost over, minor filling and levelling works pending, track laying and electrification 80% done.

[TheAsraframbo]

Nice progress hopefully will end by June 2022

[TheAsraframbo]

@Philip Thomas  But why sir in the latest video it's mentioned that train services frm ktym to kymklm jn will be suspended for 10-15 days...and the CRS inspection will be started in the end of May 2022

[PunkJackson]

We are about to see the end of the tunnel, literally and figuratively. Hours of my younger days were wasted waiting on the crossings during my daily travel between EKM-KTM. I feel nauseous 🤮 that we had 3-4 state ministers, many prominent MLAs and MPs and leaders from Kottayam who could call the PM and Rail minister directly, but it didn't happen. All these shameless will be there on the day of inauguration and boast about how they made this happen.

[update]

The views by Philip Thomas, every malayali should read. He has made a correct assessment of ers_ ktym_ kyj doubling which is going on for the last 20 years or more. You can see the doubling of mdu _ vpt_ ten_ ncj_tvc which was approved by pm modi in the year 2020 is moving with a great pace.

[josephma]

Dear bro, please clarify whether 130/260 meter rails or used rails (eventually replaced by longer rails)are used for the new track....

[josephma]

It took 30 years to complete the doubling of track between Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram (220 km)..
Awful 😖 but it's better late than never...

[jalajeshkp]

കോട്ടയം റൂട്ട്. ചിങ്ങവനം മുതൽ കായങ്കുളം വരെ എപ്പോൾ ആക്കും double

[anoopch]

Video kollam tto... But nalla shaky aa. Next time onn stable aaki vaikkamo? Head pain edukkuva. 😁

[philiposegeorge]

ഏത് ഭാഗമാണ്, പണി എത്ര പാർസനേജ് ആയി. എന്നു പൂർത്തിയാകും എന്ന് ഒക്കെ കൂടി പറഞ്ഞാലും.