The Southern Railways have commenced a new train service from Thursday the 15th of June 2023 connecting the town of Bodinayakanur on the Tamil Nadu border with Kerala to Chennai Central Station leading to great happiness on both sides of the Kerala – Tamil Nadu Border.
L. Murugan, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying flagged off the first train at Bodinayakanur on Thursday the 15th of June 2023. The train will depart from Bodinayakanur to Chennai on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and reach the Chennai Central Railway station the next day morning with an approximate journey time of 11 hours 30 minutes. The return journey will commence from Chennai Central on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
As a result, Bodinayakanur on the Tamil Nadu side of the interstate border becomes the nearest railway station to Kumily in Idukki district at a distance of approximately 65 kilometres. Incidentally, Bodinayakkanur, is only about 27 kilometres away from the border village of Bodimettu and about 70 kilometres from Munnar town.
The new service is expected to give greater impetus to Kumily’s Tourism and Commerce Sectors. Earlier, until 2010 the Bodi – Madurai line was a metre gauge track and passengers had to switch trains from Madurai to go onwards to Chennai as, the Madurai-Chennai route had been converted to a broad-gauge track.
It is expected that the new rail service will bring down costs of goods and products originating from Kumily as well as speed up the process of shipment. The new service is also expected to benefit pilgrims who travel to Sabarimala Temple every year.
The regular services of train No. 20601/20602 Chennai Central – Bodinayakkanur – Chennai – Central Express will commence from Chennai on June 16 and from Bodinayakkanur on June 18.
It is said that the Railways is considering the possibility of laying a new line up to Sabarimala via Kumily and the people of Kumily hope that it will soon become a reality.
