In a major boost to the development prospects of Idukki, a high-range district with no rail connectivity, Railways have flagged off a service connecting the border village of Bodinayakanur in Tamil Nadu to Chennai. With this, Bodinayakanur becomes the closest railway station to Idukki district. The new train service from the Kerala border village to Chennai provides hope for growth in the tourism sector and the trade of spices from the district.
This is the first direct train service connecting Theni district near the Kerala border beyond Madurai. Hitherto, passengers had to change trains from Madurai to Chennai as the Bodi-Madurai sector had a metre gauge track till 2010, while the Madurai-Chennai sector had a broad-gauge track. Union Minister L. Murugan was set to flag off the first train at Bodinayakanur at 8.30 p.m. on Thursday. The train will start from Bodinayakanur to Chennai on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 8.30 p.m. and reach the Chennai Central Railway station at 7.55 a.m. In the return leg, it will leave Chennai on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
According to officials, the distance from Thekkady to the Theni Railway station is around 64 km, while that between Bodinayakanur and Munnar is 69 km.
Idukki District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) secretary Jitheesh Jose said that a large number of tourists from Tamil Nadu visit Munnar and Thekkady, apart from other tourist destinations in Idukki. “The new train service will offer easy access to the tourist destinations in Idukki. We hope that the service will provide an extra push to the tourism sector in the district,” he said.
According to stakeholders, the train service will boost the spices industry in Idukki. Cardamom and pepper are the major spice crops cultivated in Idukki, while the major markets of these products are located in north India.
Johny Vattathara, managing partner of Spice More Trading Company, Kumily, said that the new rail route from a nearby town in Idukki would help accelerate the movement of goods from Idukki.
“Presently, cardamom from Idukki is segregated at Bodinayakanur and transported to the markets, including Delhi, on parcel trucks. The transportation charge by road is around ₹10 to ₹12 per kilo cardamom and it takes 10 days to reach the destination. If the parcel is sent by train, the cost may come down to half this amount, and it will also reach the destination within two or three days. Vendors will be able to pass on a share of the transportation cost to cardamom farmers,” said Mr. Vattathara.
“We are hopeful that in future, more goods train service will be operating through this route,” he added.
According to officials, the new train service is also expected to serve Sabarimala pilgrims. Kumily is a key gateway of Ayyappa devotees from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. With the new service, devotees can easily reach Kumily from Chennai and other destinations.
