Jolarpettai–Shoranur line
| Jolarpettai–Shoranur line | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Status | Operational |
| Locale | Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka |
| Termini |
Jolarpettai Shoranur |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1861 |
| Owner | Indian Railway |
| Operator(s) | Southern Railway, South Western Railway |
| Depot(s) | Erode, Jolarpettai |
| Rolling stock | WDM-2, WDM-3A, WDM-3D, WDG-3A and WDG-4 diesel locos; and WAG-7 and WAP-4 electric locos. |
| Technical | |
| Track length |
Main line: 390 km (242 mi) Branch lines Salem-Yeshvantapur 229 km (142 mi) Salem-Mettur Dam 39 km (24 mi) Irugur-Coimbatore-Mettupalayem 54 km (34 mi) |
| Track gauge | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge |
| Operating speed | Up to 130 km/h |
| Highest elevation |
Jolarpettai 405 metres (1,329 ft) Coimbatore 411 metres (1,348 ft) Yeshvantapur 919 metres (3,015 ft) |
Jolarpettai–Shoranur line | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Jolarpettai–Shoranur line connects Jolarpettai, on the Chennai Central-Bangalore City line in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Shoranur in Kerala. There are several branch lines: Salem-Dharmapuri-Hosur-Yeshvantapur, Salem-Mettur Dam and Irugur/Podanur-Coimbatore-Mettupalayem. This network links the railway network in Kerala to the networks in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, and subsequently other states.
History
The first train service in southern India and the third in India was operated by Madras Railway from Royapuram / Veyasarapady to Wallajah Road (Arcot) in 1856. Madras Railway extended its trunk route to Beypur / Kadalundi (near Calicut) in 1861[1]
The metre gauge Podanur-Mettuapalayam line was opened to traffic in 1873. The UNESCO heritage track, Nilgiri Mountain Railway was opened in two stages. The Mettupalayam-Coonoor section was opened in 1899 and it was extended up to Udhagamandalam (Ooty) in 1908.[2] The Podanur-Mettuapalayam section was converted to broad gauge in early 2000s.
Two 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) wide narrow gauge famine protective lines were opened in the early years of the twentieth century. The 25.25 mi (41 km) long Tirupattur-Krishnagiri line was opened in 1905 and the 18.5 mi (30 km) long Morappur-Dharmapuri line was opened in 1906 and extended to Hosur - 54.5 mi (88 km) long . The Hosur-Dharmapuri line was decommissioned in 1941 and other two lines were closed around 1945.[3][4]
The 229 km (142 mi) long 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) wide metre gauge Salem-Bangalore line was opened in 1969.[5][6] It was converted to 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) wide broad gauge in 1997.[7]
Electrification
The mainline was electrified in stages. The Jolarapettai-Morapur sector was electrified in 1989-90, the Morapur-Salem (excluded) in 1990-91, the Salem-Erode sector in 1991-92, the Tripur-Waylar sector including Coimbatore in 1995-96, and the Waylar-Vallatolnagar (beyond Shoranur, towards Ernakulam) in 1996-97. The Magnesite-Mettur Dam sector was electrified in 1990-91. The electrification of Coimbatore-Mettuapalayem was completed in 2015.[8][9]
Speed limit
The Arakkonam-Jolarpettai-Salem-Erode-Coimbatore-Ernakulam line is classified as a "Group B" line which can take speeds up to 130 km/h.[10]
Loco sheds
Erode diesel loco shed holds WDM-2, WDM-3A, WDM-3D, WDG-3A and WDG-4 locos. Erode electric loco shed holds WAG-7 and WAP-4 locos. It is home to the largest fleet of WAP-4 locos on Indian Railways and handles some of the longest routes for electric trains in the country.[11]
Jolarpettai has an electric/ diesel trip shed.[11]
Passenger movement
Salem, Coimbatore, Erode and Palakkad, on this line, are among the top hundred booking stations of Indian Railway.[12]
References
- ↑ "IR History – Early days". 1832-1869. IRFCA. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ↑ "Mettupalam-Udhagamandalam (Ooty) Train". india invites. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ↑ "Salem District (1916)". IRFCA. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
- ↑ "Chronology of Railways in India, Part 3 (1900-1947)". IRFCA. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
- ↑ Manning, Ian. "Mysore". Bangalore-Salem. IRFCA. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ↑ "IR History: Part IV – 1947-1970". IRFCA. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ↑ "IR History: Part VI – 1995-1999". IRFCA. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ↑ "History of Electrification". IRFCA. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ↑ Coimbatore-Mettupalayam electric train service commences
- ↑ "Chapter II : The Maintenance of Permanent Way". Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- 1 2 "Sheds and Workshops". IRFCA. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ↑ "Indian Railways Passenger Reservation Enquiry". Availability in trains for Top 100 Booking Stations of Indian Railways. IRFCA. Archived from the original on 10 May 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
