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Kochi-Venduruthy
Bridge:-
This Bridge plays a very important role for the development of Kochi as
the commercial capital of Kerala and is considered a major contribution
of British architecture and a lifeline for the people of Kochi. It
stands as a Testimony to the architectural acumen of the British
engineering division in India and the farsightedness of engineer Robert
Bristow.
Venduruthy Road Bridge across Vembanad Lake was sanctioned and the
engineers’ plan for a rail bridge alongside the road bridge was approved
in 1936.Construction was completed in 1938 and the first train rolled
across the huge bridge to Cochin Harbour Terminus in the 1940s. This
architectural marvel had made the goods traffic between the port and the
mainland smooth and cost effective. |
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Amongst the Daily Trains that criss - cross the Indian continent the
Kerala Express pair has the distinction of being a DAILY train
which covers the Longest Distance. This pair is numbered 2625 / 2626 and
is still fondly addressed by most as KK. The acronym still survives to
mean Kerala - Karnataka
The KanyaKumari [CAPE] - Jammu Tawi [JAT] Himsagar Exp travels
the farthest among Trains in IR. It travels a whopping 3739 Km and takes
four days to reach its destination. Train is numbered 6317 / 6318 and is
maintained by Trivandrum Division at Nagercoil [NCJ]
The First railway line in Kerala was from Beypore to Tirur which was
opened on 12.03.1861.
After bridging the gaps, direct rail connection between Madras and
Beypore was established on 14.04.1862.
This line was extended from Kadalundi to Calicut on 02.01.1888; Calicut
to Mangalore was opened in stretches beginning from 01.10.1901 to
03.07.1907.
Shornur - Ernakulam was opened for traffic on 16.07.1902.
Tirunelveli-Quilon (MG) - British section was opened in 1903 and Native
section in 1904. This was extended to Chakka on 01.01.1918 and to
Trivandrum Central 04.11.1931.
Ernakulam - Kottayam (MG) was opened on 17.10.56 and extended to Quilon
on 06.01.1958.
References :
'Southern Railway - A saga of 150 glorious years' by Sri. R. R. Bhandari
Here are
the dates of Introduction of some of the major trains in Kerala
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Madras - Cochin mail: 25
Dec 1940
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Madras - Cochin Exp: 01
April 1966
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Madras - Mangalore West
Coast Exp: 01 April 1965
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Trivandrum - New Delhi
Kerala Exp: 01 January 1977
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Trivandrum - Guwahati
Exp: 20 January 1984
Malabar Express: was
earlier running between MAS and MAQ, by 1963 it was running between CHTS
and MAQ
Jayanti Janatha from NZM to MAQ with link to CHTS: Maiden run on 26th January 1973
Himsagar from JAT to CAPE: was flagged off at Kanya Kumari on 3rd
October 1984
CSTM - ERS Jayanti Janatha: 1975, extended to TVC soon afterwards
Trivandrum - Nizamuddin Rajdhani was inaugurated on 1st July 1994
In April 1987 several trains were introduced:
CHTS - ADI
CHTS - CSTM Netravati
CHTS - GHY and at least one more
The Madras-Cochin Mail was known as the Express till some time in the
60s or 70s
The Madras-Cochin Express was known as the Kerala Express for several
years since its introduction in 1966.
Official Ghat sections in Kerala:
1. Punalur - Sengottai
2. Kanjikode - Madukkarai
Any more?
Unofficial Ghat sections (though not strictly ghats, these have a
lot of gradients and sharp turns):
1. Vadakkancherry
2. Kadakkavur
Any more?
Have you
heard whistles being blown, long one while trains are passing through
certain areas in the night ?
They are the key man indicating everything is ok and clear
