Transport in Kollam

Transport in Kollam (Malayalam: കൊല്ലം/ക്വയ്ലോണ്‍) includes various modes of road, rail and water transportation in the city and its suburbs. State-owned Kerala State Road Transport Corporation buses, private buses, Indian Railways, state-owned Kerala State Water Transport Department boats & ferry, Taxis and Auto rickshaws are serving the city of Kollam. The city had a strong commercial reputation since the days of the Phoenicians and Romans.[1] Ibn Battuta mentioned Kollam Port as one of the five Indian ports he had seen during the course of his twenty-four year travels.[2]

Map of Kollam City Corporation and Kollam Metropolitan Area
A Kollam city bus at Ramankulangara. The city services of Kollam are blue in color

Kollam is known as the Cashew capital of the world. 90% of India's export quality Cashew Kernels are prepared from Kollam.[3] It is the largest processed cashew exporter in the world. It is the headquarters of the Kollam District.

History

Kollam Port during 1745

City of Kollam(Quilon) was known as the commercial capital of the Venad region (comprising Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts). Kollam Seaport (now known as Kollam Port) was founded by Mar Abo at Thangasseri in 825. Kollam's transportation have that much of historic background.

Transportation in the past

Kollam Junction railway station in 1905

Kollam was the first city in South Kerala that got a rail connectivity. The first idea of a rail link from Madras to Quilon, the trading capital of the erstwhile Travancore Kingdom was conceived in 1873. Kollam–Sengottai railway line is the second railway line to come to the present day state of Kerala, the first in the native kingdom of Travancore. 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. Before the arrival of rail networks in Trivandrum, Kings of old Travancore had used Kollam Junction railway station and Kollam Airport for their transportation needs. Kollam was the former capital of Venad Kingdom.[4] The Madras-Quilon line was extended to the capital of the Princely State of Travancore on 4 January 1918.[5]

Kollam Airport was the first aerodrome in the present day state of Kerala. During the 1920s, there were no other civil aerodromes in the kingdoms of Cochin, Travancore and the Malabar District at the time of the British ruled Madras Presidency. The airport stopped its operations when an accident involving a training aircraft at the boundary of the aerodrome, resulted in the death of the pilot and the trainee.[6]

Road Transportation

The city and metropolitan area are served by major arterial roads that run either in an east-west or north-south direction. The intra-city transportation is mainly carried out by private buses. The city buses in Kollam are blue in colour.

Bus stations

There are two major bus stations and one bus terminal in the city.[7][8]

Roads

City of Kollam is a meeting point of 3 important National Highways of India. They are,

Major neighbourhoods and suburbs connected with NH-66

Kottiyam → Umayanalloor → Mevaram → Thattamala → Pazhayattinkuzhi → Pallimuk → Madannada → Polayathode → College Jn. → Railway Station → Chinnakada → Cutchery → Collectorate → Mulamkadakam → Nellimukku → Medayil Jn → Ramankulangara → Vallikeezhu → Kavanad → Aaltharamoodu → Capithans → Sakthikulangara → Neendakara

Major neighbourhoods and suburbs connected with NH-744

Chinnakada → Kadappakada → Randamkutty → Koickal → Kallumthazham → Moonnamkutty → Karicode → Kilikollur → Chandanathoppe

In addition to that, some major roads like Asramam Link Road, Kollam-Paravur coastal road, Kollam-Kulathupuzha road etc. are also connecting the city of Kollam with other cities and towns in the country.

Kollam Bypass

Main article: Kollam Bypass

Kollam Bypass is a major bypass road under construction in the NH 47 that bypasses CBD of the historic Kollam City in Kerala, India. The 13.141 km long bypass starts at Kavanad in the north to Mevaram in the south, via Aravila, Kadavur, Kallumthazham and Ayathil.[9] The Government of Kerala proposed the bypass in 1975. A stretch of 4.8 km from Mevaram to Kallumthazham has been completed. Kallumthazham-Kavanad stretch is still remaining.[10] This is the one and only bypass in the state of Kerala that touches 3 major National Highways passing through the state.

Rail Transportation

Entrance of Kollam Junction railway station

Kollam Junction railway station is the major rail head of the city. It is the second largest railway station in Kerala in terms of area. Kollam station also boasts a record of having stops for all trains passing through the station. It is the third busiest railway station in Kerala. Kollam also boasts the second longest railway platform in the world(longest in Kerala), which is more than 1 km long. In a single stretch the total length is 1180 mts, which is second in the world.[11][12] Kollam Junction railway station is the MEMU headquarters of Kerala. Kollam MEMU Shed is one of the two MEMU maintenance sheds in Kerala. Kollam district is the Kerala district with maximum number of railway stations - 26. The city of Kollam is served by 3 railway stations. They are,

Railway stations in Kollam Metropolitan Area

A MEMU train near Kollam MEMU Shed

Kollam Metropolitan Area is served by the following 10 railway stations.

Suburban Rail

MEMU Shed office at Kollam Junction railway station

A new suburban rail system has been proposed by the Government of Kerala and Indian Railways on the route Thiruvananthapuram - Kollam - Haripad/Chengannur for which MRVC is tasked to conduct a study and submit a report. Ten trains, each with 7 bogies, will transport passengers back and forth along the Trivandrum-Kollam-Chengannur-Harippad section. The Suburban Corridor is modelled on the lines of the Mumbai Suburban Rail, where around 3,000 suburban trains run every day[13]

Kollam MEMU Shed

Main article: Kollam MEMU Shed

Kollam MEMU Shed is a motive power depot facility for maintaining MEMU rakes, situated in the city of Kollam in the Indian state of Kerala. It is one of the four MEMU rake maintenance sheds serving the Southern Railway zone of the Indian Railways.[14] Presently, 5 pairs of MEMU services are now running from Kollam Junction. The maintenance works of those rakes are regularly doing in Kollam MEMU shed.

Air Transportation

Main article: Quilon Aerodrome
Old Kollam Airport area

Currently there are no airports in the city of Kollam. However, Quilon Aerodrome at Asramam was the first aerodrome in Kerala. The first flight to Kerala landed at Kollam Asramam Airport. Now the old airport area is serving as a twin-helipad of the city, which is about 1 km away from the city center.[6] The city is served by Trivandrum International Airport, which is about 56 kilometers from the Kollam. Trivandrum International Airport is the first international airport in a non-metro city in India[15] and the only airport in Kerala having more than 2 Terminals. Daily domestic flight services are available such major cities as Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Bangalore and Kochi. International flight services connecting to Sharjah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Kuwait, Muscat, Male, Doha, Singapore and Colombo are available from here. The first Amphibian Aircraft (Seaplane) of Kerala also landed in Kollam.

Kerala Seaplane Project

Main article: Kerala Seaplane

Kerala Seaplane was a commercial seaplane service promoted by Kerala Tourism Infrastructure Limited[16] in the Indian state of Kerala. It was launched on 2 June 2013 at Kollam with the inaugural flight being operated by Kairali Aviation.[17] However, commercial operations could not start due to opposition from the local fishing community. The Kerala Government was keen on restarting regular operations of the project in 2014.[18] The service was to be the first such service in mainland India, and the second in India after Jal Hans, which operates seaplanes in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Water Transportation

A moving ferry at Ashtamudi Lake, Kollam

City of Kollam is served by boats and ferry services operated by Kerala State Water Transport Department. Kollam is one among the 6 districts served by the inland navigation water transport facilities in the Indian state of Kerala. Kollam KSWTD Boat Jetty is situated near Cutchery.[19] Kerala State Water Transport Department is operating daily ferry services from Kollam Boat Jetty that connect city of Kollam with the suburbs like Sampranikkodi, Guhanandapuram and Pazhemthuruthu.[20] In addition to that, the District Tourism Promotion Council(DTPC) of Kollam is running Kollam-Alappuzha boat services on alternative days of the week.

Kollam Port

A distant view of Kollam Port from Tangasseri
Main article: Kollam Port

The city of Kollam is served by Kollam Port (Thangasseri Port), which is the second largest port in Kerala. Kollam Port is one of the two International Ports in Kerala. Cargo handling facility had been kicked-off at Kollam Port in 2013.[21] Foreign ships are now coming to Kollam Port regularly. The first foreign ship that reached the modern Port of Kollam after the independence of India was the MV Alina, a mammoth 145-meter vessel registered in Antigua. It anchored in the port on 4 April 2014.[22] Nowadays foreign and domestic ships anchoring at Kollam Port is a regular scene of the city.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1958) [1935]. History of South India (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
  2. ↑ Kollam - Mathrubhumi
  3. ↑ "Kerala's cashew industry survives on foreign nuts". commodityonline. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  4. ↑ CHEENA KOTTARAM - Kollam
  5. ↑ "Quilon - by Jimmy Jose". Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Aviation school proposal evokes mixed response". The Hindu. 2009-06-08. Retrieved 2014-12-26.
  7. ↑ Depots - KSRTC official website
  8. ↑ "Shortage of drivers may hit services". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2014-12-26.
  9. ↑ Kollam bypass: Central team conducts alignment study
  10. ↑ Talks held on NH bypass completion
  11. ↑ "Kollam railway station finally gets a ‘real’ platform No 1". The Times Of India. 2012-11-19. Retrieved 2014-12-26.
  12. ↑ "West Bengal: tea plantations and other Raj-era relics".
  13. ↑ http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/new-drm-optimistic-about-suburban-project/article5547937.ece
  14. ↑ MEMU Maintenance Work Begins in Kollam Kollam MEMU Shed
  15. ↑ Trivandrum International Airport
  16. ↑ "Despite brouhaha, seaplane project fails to take off". The New Indian Express. 24 August 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  17. ↑ Special Correspondent (2 June 2013). "Tourism to take wings with seaplane's take-off". The Hindu Delhi edition. p. 7.
  18. ↑ "Kerala Government keen to re-start sea plane service as early as possible". Daily News and Analysis. 25 February 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  19. ↑ "Kerala State Water Transport Department - Introduction". KSWTD. Retrieved 2015-01-04.
  20. ↑ "Important places enroute - KSWTD". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  21. ↑ Kollam port starts cargo handling. Accessed 29 July 2014.
  22. ↑ "Foreign Ship Reaches Kollam Port". The New Indian Express. 5 April 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
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