RailEnquiry

MALAPPURAM: Once again, the demand for setting up crossing stations at Kulukkallur and Melattur on the Shoranur-Nilambur route is rising as almost all the trains on this stretch run late. And this is mainly because these trains have to wait at Angadippuram and Shoranur stations to enable other trains to cross.On Saturday, the Thiruvananthapuram-Nilambur Rajyarani Express arrived at its destination two hours late. It was made to wait at Shoranur to enable another train to cross.The demand to set up crossing stations at Kulukkallur and Melattur is a long-pending one. Many organizations and people's representatives have met railway authorities several times in the past with this demand. But authorities haven't yet obliged.It is learnt that Southern Railway's Palakkad division had recommended crossing stations at these two places, and forwarded this recommendation to its Chennai headquarters two years ago. But, as the Chennai office did not take any further action on this, there was no budget allocation for the purpose in the last two railway budgets.General secretary of the Nilambur rail action council Biju Ninan said demanding more trains on this route without setting up crossing facilities in at least Kulukkallur would be absurd. "Nowhere in the country will you come across a 28km-stretch without even a single crossing. Authorities should give prime importance to setting up crossing stations," he said.Daily 14 trains, including two express trains, run on this stretch. Goods trains going to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) godown at Angadippuram, as well as inspection vehicles also use this rail line. At present, the 56km Shoranur-Nilambur line has only two crossing stations -- one at Angadippuram, 28km away from Shoranur, and another at Nilambur. On the Shoranur-Mangalore stretch, the distance between crossing stations at Shoranur and Karakkadu is only eight kilometres."The major reason for trains on this route getting delayed is because of trains halting at different stations for crossing. A majority of the trains have to wait at Shoranur or Angadippuram for at least an hour," he said.The construction of a crossing point is generally carried out along with a major work. Hence, if crossing points are to be set up at Kulukkallur and Melattur, the work will have to be included in the works programme of the Southern Railway for it to get budgetary allocation. And for this to happen, people's representative will have to put more pressure on authorities.