Peralam–Karaikal line


The Peralam–Karaikal line is a branch line connects Peralam, Tamil Nadu with Karaikal, Puducherry in South India.

History

This metre gauge branch line between and was approved for construction by French India during December 1895. The French government invested about 1,201,840 for the construction, which was done by the then Great South Indian Railway and opened on 14 March 1898.

Route

With a route length of, the line had four stations Ambagarattur, Paruttikudi, Thirunallar and Karikovilpathu within a stretch of up to karaikal, all falling within the territory of French India. The rest of between Ambagarattur and Peralam falls within British India region.

Operations

Passenger services

Though owned by French India, the operations were transferred to the then Great South Indian Railway in accordance with agreement signed in 1902. There were 4 up-and-down services, but due improvement in road connectivity the earnings dropped and subsequently the services were reduced to one in 1943. After Indian Independence and Railway Re-organisation, the line fell into the jurisdiction of Tiruchirappalli railway division. In 1967, citing under utilisation of the line for passenger traffic in its transport survey, the National Council for Applied and Economic Research recommended for closure of line.

Freight services

This line provided rail connectivity to Karaikal port and transfer of goods through rail into British India, as this line would give further connectivity to, which falls on the main line. Cement, fertilisers, tiles, timber, kerosene oil, rice, wheat, grains, pulses and paddy were the main goods involved in traffic. Raw materials like pressed cotton and coal for textile mills and iron billets for Pondicherry Rolling Mills were brought in, processed and the finished product was supplied all over the country. Though the goods traffic density fared better, the passenger traffic slumped and services were called off except the rolling stock.

Gauge conversion

Due to persistent demand from various quarters, revival of line gained momentum for surveying the feasibility outside the purview of Railway Budget, which proposed a rough estimate of about. Officially, the line was taken up for survey as the announcement came in the 2013–2014 Railway Budget, at an outlay of and at an estimate of about for full-fledged activities. Apart from retaining the four railway stations in the past and laying broad gauge tracks in the same old path, detour lines of about is planned at and about for Tirunallar yard. In June 2019 tenders were floated for the execution of the project, expecting to complete it by March 2021.