Agamx: small added section based on references additionally and fixed typos after review

2026-03-26T17:44:11Z

small added section based on references additionally and fixed typos after review

>Balablitz: Stick to core title

2021-05-10T03:41:58Z

Stick to core title

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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2016}}
{{Infobox rail line
| box_width = 25em
| name = Kollam–Sengottai railway line
| other_name =
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| color =
| logo =
| logo_width =
| logo_alt =
| image = 13 Arch bridge Kazhuthurutty Kerala.jpg
| image_width =
| image_alt =
| caption = Metre-gauge train passing through Thirteen Arch railway bridge
| type = [[Express trains in India|Express train]]<br>[[Slow and fast passenger trains in India|Passenger train]]
| system =
| status = Active
| locale = [[Kerala]]<br>[[Tamil Nadu]]
| start = {{stnlnk|Kollam Junction}}
| end = {{stnlnk|Sengottai}}
| stations = 17
| routes = 4 Express, 3 Passenger
| daily_ridership =
| ridership2 =
| open = {{Start date and years ago|df=yes|1904|11|26}}
| close = {{Start date and years ago|df=yes|2010}}
| reopen = {{Start date and years ago|df=yes|2018|06|09}}
| owner = [[Indian Railways]]
| operator = [[Southern Railway zone]]
| character =
| depot = [[Kollam MEMU Shed|Kollam]]<br>[[Diesel Loco Shed, Ernakulam|Ernakulam]]<br>[[Diesel Loco Shed, Golden Rock|Golden Rock]]
| stock =
| linelength_km =
| linelength_mi =
| linelength = {{convert|94.1|km|abbr=on}}
| tracklength_km =
| tracklength_mi =
| tracklength =
| tracks = 1
| gauge = {{track gauge|1676mm}}
| old_gauge = {{track gauge|1000mm}}
| load_gauge = {{convert|4725|x|3660|mm|ftin|abbr=on}} ([[Broad gauge|BG]])<ref name=gauge>{{cite book|title=Railway Track Engineering|year=2010|publisher=Tata McGraw Hill|location=New Delhi|isbn=978-0-07-068012-8|page=7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n6XrJJIxQTEC&q=loading+gauge+india&pg=PA7|author=J S Mundrey|edition=Fourth|access-date=9 January 2014}}</ref>
| minradius =
| racksystem =
| routenumber = 63<ref name=qlnpuu>{{cite web|title=Passenger Train time Table-2013 - Punalur–Kollam–Punalur|url=http://www.sr.indianrailways.gov.in/uploads/files/1375165458070-Table%2023-85_Pages%20148%20to%20221_SRS.pdf|work=[[Indian Railways]]|publisher=[[Southern Railway zone]]|access-date=9 January 2014|page=54}}</ref>
| linenumber =
| electrification =
| speed_km/h =
| speed_mph =
| speed = {{convert|31|km/h|abbr=on}}
| elevation_m = 272
| elevation_ft =
| elevation =
| website = {{URL|www.sr.indianrailways.gov.in}}
| map = {{Kollam–Sengottai branch line}}
| map_state = hide
}}

The '''Kollam–Sengottai railway line''' (formerly known as Quilon–Shencottah or Quilon–Chenkotta line) is a railway line in [[South India]] which connects {{stnlnk|Kollam Junction}} in [[Kerala]] state and {{stnlnk|Sengottai}} (also spelled Shencottah, Shenkottai, Chengottai, Chenkottai, Senkottai) in [[Tamil Nadu]]. The Quilon–Shencottah railway line was the first railway line in the erstwhile [[Travancore]] state and is more than a century old. The Kollam–Sengottai section is part of the [[Kollam]]–[[Chennai]] [[metre-gauge]] rail route commissioned by the British in 1904. The line has been completely converted to broad gauge and is now fully operational from {{stnlnk|Kollam Junction}} to Shengottai.

==History==
{{Railway in Kerala cities}}
The Kollam–Sengottai [[metre-gauge]] line was conceived and implemented by Maharajah [[Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma|Uthram Thirunal]] of Travancore. It was built jointly by [[South Indian Railway Company]], [[Travancore State]] and the [[Madras Presidency]]. After a survey in 1888, work started in 1900 and was completed by 1902. The first goods train travelled on this route in 1902 while the first passenger train began its run in 1904. Metre-gauge services were inaugurated on 1{{nbsp}}July 1904 with the first passenger train flagged off from Kollam by Maharajah [[Moolam Thirunal]] of Travancore with a 21-gun salute. The railway line was constructed by the [[British Raj|British]] in the foothills of the [[Western Ghats]] to transport forest products, [[spices]] and [[cashew]]s from Kollam to Chennai, their southern headquarters.

=== Timeline ===
* 1899 - Survey for Quilon–Madras rail link completed<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kollamcorporation.gov.in/transport |title=Kollam Municipal Corporation |access-date=21 June 2017}}</ref>
* 1900 - Works for Kollam–Sengottai metre-gauge railway line started to connect the city of Quilon with [[Madras]]
* 1902 - Kollam–Sengottai Railway line works completed
* 1904 - On 1 June, His Highness [[Moolam Thirunal|Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma]] of [[Travancore]] flagged off the first passenger train service on the Kollam–Sengottai railway line at [[Kollam Junction railway station|Kollam railway station]]
* 1998 - Gauge conversion of Kollam–Sengottai Railway line officially started
* 2007 - On 1 May, rail services on Kollam–Punalur section withdrawn
* 2010 - On 10 May, Kollam–Punalur broad-gauge section thrown open for services<ref name="may">{{cite news|title=Kollam-Sengottai train service likely from May|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kozhikode/Kollam-Sengottai-train-service-likely-from-May/article16916876.ece|access-date=21 June 2017|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=21 December 2016|location=Kozhikode}}</ref>
* 2018 - On 31 March, the entire Kollam–Sengottai line thrown open for passenger train services.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2018/apr/01/sengottai-kollam-railway-line-reopens-after-eight-years-1795456.html |title=Sengottai-Kollam railway line reopens after eight years |work=The New Indian Express|date=1 April 2018 |access-date=2 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2018/mar/30/chennai-to-kollam-train-will-resume-after-eight-years-1794626.html |title=Chennai to Kollam train will resume after eight years |work=The New Indian Express|date=31 March 2018 |access-date=2 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/madurai/special-trains-announced-between-tambaram-and-kollam/articleshow/63538475.cms |title=Special trains announced between Tambaram and Kollam |work=Times of India|date=30 March 2018 |access-date=2 April 2018}}</ref> The first passenger train on the stretch was Tambaram–Kollam–Tambaram special train service (06027/28) which completed the service by earning Rs 3.15 lakh as passenger ticket collection from its 879 passengers against a capacity of 712.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/first-train-from-chennai-on-punalur-line-has-commuters-ready-to-roll/articleshow/63564490.cms |title=First train from Chennai on Punalur line has commuters ready to roll |work=Times of India|date=1 April 2018 |access-date=2 April 2018}}</ref>

==About the route==
The route was once a lifeline for the people of the southern districts of [[Kerala]] state and the [[Sengottai]]–[[Virudhunagar]] belt of [[Tamil Nadu]]. It served to create a strong link especially among the trading community of these areas in the two States. British tea estates and coffee plantations thrived on the labour of tribesman living in the [[Thenmala]] forests and workers from Tamil Nadu. The railway line contributed much to the development of a [[plantation]] economy in this area. The farmers of the Shencottah-Virudhunagar belt depended on the trains to market their produce in south Travancore. Huge quantities of vegetables, groceries and dairy products such as curd were brought into Kollam district from Tamil Nadu by trains that plied the route. The [[Palaruvi]] and Kazhuthurutti waterfalls and the Thenmala eco-tourism centre are on the fringes of this line, and the [[Courtallam]] waterfalls at the destination make this route popular with nature lovers.<ref name="adieu">{{cite news|last1=S. Binu|first1=Raj|title=Whistling adieu|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/Whistling-adieu/article16573298.ece|access-date=6 June 2017|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=17 March 2010}}</ref>

===Notable landmarks on the route===
[[File:13Arch Bridge View 1.jpg|thumb|right|350px|View of 13 Kannara Bridge]]
* '''13 Kannara Bridge'''
The 13 Kannara bridge or 13 Arch Bridge (''Pathimoonu kannara palam'') is a 108–year–old bridge at Kazhathuruthi. The bridge consists of 13 arches and is a major landmark on the Kollam–Sengottai railway line as well as a testimony to the architectural abilities of the British. The bridge connects two hillocks and stands on thirteen granite pillars each almost a hundred feet tall. Sandwiched by the Kollam-Thirumangalam National Highway on one side and the River Kazhuthurutti on the other, the bridge is {{convert|102.72|m}} long and {{convert|5.18|m}} tall.
* '''Aryankavu–Puliyara (Kottavasal) tunnel'''
The Aryankavu tunnel links Aryankavu in Kerala with Bhagavathipuram in Tamil Nadu. The tunnel was completed in 1903 and is {{convert|680|m}} long. On both sides of the tunnel, the conch shell symbol of the Travancore rulers has been imprinted.

===Popular metre-gauge trains on the route===
[[File:Scengottai-Kollam railway line at Kuri in Kollam district, Jan 2019.jpg|right|thumb|Rail line towards Kollam Junction near [[Kuri railway station|Kuri]]]]
* Train No:6105/6106 (earlier 105/106) Kollam–{{stnlnk|Chennai Egmore}} Mail

This train was introduced in 1904 after the completion of the [[Quilon]]–[[Sengottai]]–[[Virudhunagar]] metre-gauge line and was flagged off by the then Maharaja of Travancore, [[Moolam Thirunal]]. The train was later renamed the Quilon–[[Madras]] Mail. The train was extended to [[Trivandrum]] in 1918 after completion of the Quilon–Trivandrum metre-gauge line. This train was one of the early metre gauge trains to have a First Class. The train was truncated at Quilon after the Kollam–[[Trivandrum Central]] metre-gauge track was converted to broad gauge in 1979. The train went through to [[Madurai Junction railway station]] via Manamadurai Junction from 1996 when the Virudhunagar–Madurai line was converted to broad gauge. The train was discontinued in June 2000.
* Train No:6383/6384 Tirunelveli–Kollam Express
* Sengottai–Kollam passenger
This passenger train was the main means of transport among office workers and students along this route.

==Broad gauge conversion==
[[File:SCT-PUU Gauge Conversion stat.png|thumb|220px| ]]The Punalur–Sengottai section is part of the 325-km Kollam–Sengottai–[[Tenkasi]]–[[Tirunelveli Junction railway station|Tirunelveli]]–[[Tiruchendur railway station|Tiruchendur]] gauge conversion project and part of the Tenkasi–[[Virudhunagar]] trunk route to [[Chennai]]. The gauge conversion of the Sengottai–Tiruchendur section has been completed and is open to traffic.

===Kollam–Punalur section===
The Kollam Junction–[[Punalur]] metre-gauge railway line to broad-gauge conversion works foundation stone was laid in 1998 at Punalur. Services on the Punalur–Kollam metre-gauge section were withdrawn on 1 May 2007, to facilitate the gauge conversion work. The gauge conversion took almost 11 years to complete after the foundation stone was laid. The 44 km line was converted to broad gauge and inaugurated on 10 May 2010. Passenger train services connecting Punalur to Kollam, [[Madurai]], [[Guruvayur]], [[Kanyakumari]] and [[Palakkad Junction]] are currently operational in this route.<ref name=qlnpuu/>

===Punalur–Sengottai section===
To facilitate the gauge conversion work on the [[Punalur]]–Sengottai section, train services on the section were withdrawn in September 2010. The 49.2-km Punalur–Sengottai section gauge conversion works were completed in December 2017 and the line was commissioned in March 2018. The inaugural Tambaram–Kollam special train (06027) ran through the section on 31 March 2018. The inaugural TBM–QLN special train was later extended to Chennai Egmore (MS) and then regularised w.e.f. 04.03.2019 where the inaugural run of the regular daily express train was flagged off. The regular train is 115 years old and re-started after 19 years. The train MS<>QLN EXP has train numbers 16101 (MS–QLN)/16102 (QLN–MS). The inaugural special run of the regular train had 06101 as the number and had a total of 14 coaches with 8 SL coaches & 2 3A coaches.

==Stations==
The railway stations in Kollam Junction–Sengottai railway line are
{{div col|colwidth=13em}}
* {{stnlnk|Kollam Junction}}
* {{stnlnk|Kilikollur}}
* {{stnlnk|Chandanattop}}
* {{stnlnk|Kundara}}
* {{stnlnk|Kundara East}}
* {{stnlnk|Ezhukone}}
* {{stnlnk|Kottarakara}}
* {{stnlnk|Kuri}}
* {{stnlnk|Avaneeswaram}}
* {{stnlnk|Punalur}}
* [[Edamon|Edaman]]
* Ottakkal
* {{stnlnk|Thenmala}}
* Kazhuthurutti Halt
* Edapalayam
* {{stnlnk|New Aryankavu}}
* {{stnlnk|Aryankavu}}
* Bhagavathipuram
* {{stnlnk|Sengottai}}
{{div col end|6}}

==See also==
* [[Tenkasi Junction railway station|Tenkasi Junction]]
* {{stnlnk|Tirunelveli Junction}}
{{maplink|display=inline,title|text=Route map|type=line}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Railways in Southern India}}
{{Kollam |state=expanded}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kollam-Sengottai Chord Line}}
[[Category:Rail transport in Kollam]]
[[Category:Madurai railway division|*]]
[[Category:Economy of Kollam]]
[[Category:Rail transport in Kerala]]
[[Category:5 ft 6 in gauge railways in India]]
[[Category:Railway lines opened in 1904]]
[[Category:Transport in Kollam district]]
[[Category:Tirunelveli district]]
[[Category:Thiruvananthapuram railway division|*]]

Kollam–Sengottai Chord Line - Revision history

Agamx: small added section based on references additionally and fixed typos after review

>Balablitz: Stick to core title