Railway team reviews gauge conversion work

A team of senior officials from the Madurai Division of Southern Railway today reviewed the progress of broad gauge conversion of the Punalur-Aryankavu stretch of the Kollam-Sencottah line.
The team expressed confidence that work in the 35-km strecth would be completed within two years, depending on sufficient budgetary allocations.
The team led by A K Rastogi, Divisional Railway Manager, Madurai, inspected the stretch and held discussions with elected representatives from the area including Lok Sabha members N K premachandran (Kollam) and Kodikunnil Suresh (Adoor).
The MPs said they would press the Centre for allocation of funds for completition of the work within the time-frame.

Later talking to reporters, Rastogi said the work was progressing well and would be opened for traffic within two years provided the Railways made sufficient budgetary allocations.
One of the oldest rail lines connecting Kerala and Tamil Nadu built during the colonial period, the work of converting the metre gauge into broad gauge was taken up a few years ago.
The work in Tamil Nadu section has already been completed.