Idukki in high hopes as train services resume from Kerala border village after a decade

Bodinayakkanur (Tamil Nadu): ‘Yatriyo kripya dhyan de’ (passengers please pay attention). Passengers arriving at the Bodinayakkanur station in the Theni district of Tamil Nadu are once again being greeted by train announcements.

However, it’s not just local natives who are overwhelmed with joy over the resumption of train services along the Madurai-Theni-Bodinayakkanur section after a gap of 13 years. The people of the mountainous terrain of Kerala’s Idukki district across the border are equally delighted.

While their dreams of rail connectivity seemed a far-fetched dream, they could now reach the railway station in the border village in an hour and travel comfortably to various destinations across the country.

Trains in the Madurai-Bodinayakkanur section used to carry cardamom consignments during the meter-gauge period. Now that the broad-gauge conversion works are over, it’s only apt that the first train to resume service through the section is named ‘Cardamom Express’. As the name suggests, the large farming community of Idukki, nestled amid the Cardamom Hills of Western Ghats, has harboured high hopes of the region witnessing development, especially with regard to trade.

Chennai, Madurai services to start with
Union Minister L Murugan flagged off the first train service to Chennai from Bodinayakkanur, which lies just 27 km away from the Idukki border village of Bodimettu. To start with, there will be three services a week to Chennai and daily services to Madurai.

The train operations through the section were stopped in 2010 to facilitate the broad-gauge conversion works. The services resumed on Thursday after the completion of the activities. The 75-km section between Madurai and Thani was completed first and Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the line on May 26 last year.

Train services from Chennai Central to Bodinayakanur will be operated every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The train will start from Chennai at 10.30 pm and reach the destination by 9.35 am the next day. Services in the return direction will be operated on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. The train will leave Bodinayakanur at 8.30 pm to reach Chennai by 7.55 am.

Will trains chug into the hilly terrains of Idukki?
Just 69 km separate the Bodinayakkanur railway station and Munnar Town in Kerala. Currently, the nearest railway station in Kerala to the famed hill station of south India is Kottayam, lying at a distance of 140 km.

For the people living in the high-range regions like Kumali, Nedumkandam, Kattappana, and Peerumedu, the resumption of train services from the village across the border provides better connectivity to Chennai and other major railway stations in the country via Bodinayakkanur. They can now travel comfortably in much less time to these destinations than by catching trains via Kottayam.

While it takes three hours to reach Kottayam from Kumily, one can travel to Theni in just an hour. The travel time to Theni from major high-range towns in Idukki is lesser than that taken to reach Kottayam or Ernakulam.

A big boost to trade
The trade sector in the Idukki region stands to benefit the most from the resumption of train services from Bodinayakkanur station. The movement of spices like Cardamom and Elam to markets in Tamil Nadu and the transportation of vegetables from the neighbouring state to Kerala will become much easier now. The student community from Kerala studying in Tamil Nadu too is elated by the development.

High range in development map
The reopening of the Madurai-Bodinayakkanur rail section kindle high hopes for Idukki’s tourism prospects. The route will facilitate easy access for tourists from other states to reach major tourist destinations like Thekkady, Munnar, and Ramakkalmedu. Visitors to tourist spots in Tamil Nadu can make a quick visit to the tourist destinations in the Idukki district via Bodinayakkanur.

The footfalls to various tourist destinations in Idukki are expected to rise sharply in the coming days. The Sabarimala pilgrims and those travelling to holy places like Madhura, Velankanni, Rameswaram, Palani, and Tirupathi from the Idukki district too stand to benefit. The traders can widen their networks to various markets in Tamil Nadu.

Fresh hopes for extended rail connectivity
Bodinayakanur-Kumily
The residents of Idukki will hugely benefit if a new railway line is laid in the 50-km section from Bodinayakkanur to Lower Camp. The railways plan to extend the line to Sabarimala in the future. It even carried out a survey back in 1997 for a new rail route to Sabarimala from Dindigul via Kumily in Kerala. However, the expected profit percentage is just 2.26%, forcing the authorities to backtrack from the project.

Dindigul-Kumily line
The construction of a new railway line in the Dindigul-Kumily section was considered along with that of the Madurai-Bodinayakkanur project. Though it received the nod of the Planning Commission in 2009, the rail authorities took no initiative to lay the new line. The commission had suggested the equal sharing of the project cost between the state and the Centre. However, none, including the people’s representatives, strongly vouched for the project, which envisaged a new railway line from Dindigul to Lower Camp via Chembatti, Vattalagundu, Periyakulam, Theni, Bodinayakkanur, Tevaram, and Cumbum.

Travel woes faced by tens of thousands of people from both states will be addressed if this line is linked to the Madurai-Bodinayakkanur section at Theni and a new line is laid till Lower Camp via Tevaram and Cumbum. The Sabarimala pilgrims stand to benefit the most.

Distance from the main towns in Idukki to Bodinayakkanur
Adimali – 79 kms
Munnai – 69 kms
Rajakkad – 53 kms
Kumily – 62 kms
Nedumgandam – 68 kms
Kattappana – 78 kms