Saturday, May 29, 2010

metre gauge in kerala memorable for ever.






The Kollam-Shencottah railway line – the first one in erstwhile Travancore – is more than a century old.The 50-km journey from Punalur to Shencottah is perhaps the best portion on this route in terms of nature's lushness and architectural marvels.

The train chugs through the Shendurni wild life sanctuary and picturesque stations such as Kazhuthurutty, Thenmala, Ottakkallu and Bhagavathipuram, passing by verdant mountains and many a cascade. The Palaruvi and Kazhuthurutti waterfalls and the Thenmala eco-tourism centre are on the fringes of this line, and the majestic Courtallam waterfalls at the destination make this route perfect for nature lovers.

The railway line was constructed by the British on the foothills of the Western Ghats to transport forest products, spices and cashew from Kollam to Chennai, their southern headquarters. The longest tunnel on this route (built in 1901) is here. The picturesque Aryankavu viaduct, where the road, river and rail run parallel, is also part of this route.

This railway line is an architecture marvel. “It was built jointly by South Indian Railway Company, Travancore State and Madras Presidency. After the survey in 1888, the work started in 1900 and completed by 1903 and the total expenditure was Rs. 1,12,65,637. according to records, the Punalur to Shencottah stretch was the most difficult one to construct as it lies around 2,800 metres above sea level and it took almost two years to complete the Aryankavu tunnel. One can notice the conch symbol of the erstwhile Travancore regime at both ends of the tunnel and the year of construction on the nearby pillars.The 102.72-m bridge at Kazhuthurutti with 13 arches is so strong that not even a crack has developed so far. The railway engineering department has decided not to demolish this 5.18m height bridge. Instead they will strengthen and widen it. In 1904, the first train was flagged off from Kollam by Moolam Tirunal Ramavarma, the then King of erstwhile Travancore with a 21-gun salute.

I had got an opportunity to travel through the meter gauge which stretches from Punalur to Shencotta and which is going to be memorable for ever in every keralites.It took only two hours from punalur to reach shencotta. The train passed through so many ways which brings to every ones life about an incredible journey where there was about 4 tunnels and around 8 bridges which includes the famous 13 arched bridge which is a photographer’s delight. Another thing is that before reaching the Aryankavu station there is a tunnel which is around 1km in length. That was very much exciting for me.

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