Indian Railways (IR) has sanctioned the doubling of the 21.10-kilometre Turavur–Mararikulam section of Southern Railway (SR) at a cost of ₹450.59 crore.
The section lies on Ernakulam–Alappuzha–Kayankulam corridor of SR’s Thiruvanathapuram division. It handles substantial passenger as well as freight traffic, including Kochi port-linked cargo.
The doubling project will enable the operation of nine additional passenger trains per day in each direction and increase annual freight movement by about 2.88 million tonnes.
It will save time by reducing detention of freight trains by up to 17 to 19 minutes and passenger trains by about 12 to 15 minutes.
The section is currently operating at high levels of capacity utilisation, and doubling will ease congestion, enhance punctuality and strengthen overall corridor efficiency.
