Theni-Bodi railway line to make travel to Kerala easier

Tourists travelling from Tamil Nadu to the cool climbs of Munnar and Idukki in Kerala will soon have an alternative and faster route to reach the above destinations with the Southern Railway planning to operationalize the Theni-Bodinayakanur broad gauge line next month.

With the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) giving his nod for the 15-km line connecting Theni with Bodinayakanur after inspecting the line, the Railway Board has also approved a proposal to extend the tri-weekly Chennai Central-Madurai air conditioned express till Bodinayakanur.

The Madurai-Theni broad gauge line was inaugurated in May 2022 after which an unreserved train began chugging along the scenic route. This train will also be extended till Bodinayakanur.

“The resumption of operations between Theni and Bodinayakanur will complete the broad gauge conversion project of the Madurai-Bodi meter gauge line which was built during the British regime,” a senior Southern Railway official told DH.

Rail traffic between Madurai and Bodinayyakannur was stopped in 2010 for converting the metre gauge line into broad gauge and the work was set to be completed in less than two years. However, it has taken over 11 years to relaunch train operations on the 75.3 km line between Madurai and Theni. The project cost Rs 500 crore.

The official said the tri-weekly Chennai-Madurai AC express via Salem will be extended to Bodinayakanur, in all probability, from February 19. The train is operated on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from Chennai and on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from Madurai as of now.

The 15-km stretch between Theni and Bodi will be covered in 9 minutes and a direct link between Chennai and Bodinayakanur via Madurai will be a boon to those travelling to Theni districts and tourists who visit Munnar and Idukki in Kerala.

The tourists take a train till Kochi and hit the road to Munnar or Idukki which takes at least 15 hours. However, the new line is likely to reduce the travel time by three hours. The train will reach Bodinayakanur in 10 hours and it will take another two to three hours to reach Munnar or Idukki from there, locals said.

With the new line, the travel time between Madurai and Bodinayakanur will reduce to 1.15 hour as against over two hours by road. The new broad gauge line will not just help office goers and regular travelers from Madurai to Theni but also people proceeding to tourist destinations.