RailEnquiry

Kochi: Tripunithura had the biggest role in the history of construction of the first railway line in Kerala when the king of the royal kingdom of Kochi sold 14 golden caparisons of elephants of Poornathrayeesha temple at Tripunithura to finance the track between Ernakulam and Shoranur.

But unfortunately, this satellite town of Kochi city is still waiting for the union government to allot stops for several main trains at Tripunithura railway station. The residents of the area have made several requests to officials, with the latest move being a mass memorandum to union minister K.V. Thomas.

The office-bearers of Tripunithura Rajanagari Union of Residents’ Association (TRURA) cite that no train towards Thiruvananthapuram stops at Tripunithura station between 6.45 am and 5 pm and that not a single train that travels to Kozhikode stops here. For the residents of Tripunithura, boarding express trains from the local station is still an unfulfilled dream.

Despite their being many railway ministers from the state in the past years, the demand of the locals here, for sanctioning stops for all the major trains at Tripunithura railway station has been falling on deaf ears.

Even though, the station has two platforms to accommodate 24 coaches each and a double line till Mulanthuruthy, the potential of the Railway station is still under-utilized. The profit from ticket sales at this station is over Rs 50 lakh every month, according to railway officials, which is more than any other station between Ernakulam and Kottayam.

Tripunithura is the entry point for travelers from Idukki district, which is not connected to a rail network. It is also the nearest station for people going to Muvattupuzha,  Kolencherry,  Puthencruz,  Thiruvankulam, Maradu, Kundannur and Chottanikara. Moreover, the Vyttila Mobility Hub and prominent industries like FACT Ltd, BPCL-Kochi Refineries Ltd, Hindustan Organics and Chemicals Ltd, Carbon Black Industries Ltd etc are in close proximity to the Tripunithura     Station.