One of the most picturesque rail routes in India is set to lose his charm once the railways chops down 5,000 trees to aid development.
The rail route between Shornur and Nilambur. Photo: Kerala Tourism
The romancing trees nod in appreciation as trains pull into the Melattur Railway Station in Kerala’s Malappuram district.
In summer, the train-fanning gulmohar trees burst into red, spreading a welcoming floral carpet to trains and awe-struck tourists. The trees are now waiting on death row.
The enchanting green tunnel at Melattur has touched many hearts, both domestic and foreign. The station on the Shoranur-Nilambur stretch has been the gateway to the natural beauty on offer in Kerala for long.
Beyond the station, the train chugs through lush green woods of the Western Ghats, verdant paddy fields, vast teak plantations, and over rivers towards its destination at Nilambur 66 km away. The spectacular scenery on the stretch even left the former railway minister Piyush Goyal in awe and made him describe the most beautiful train journey in India.
Train on the Nilambur-Shornur route, the greenest in Kerala. Photo: Kerala Tourism.
Goyal’s description made several people from all over India ride the route, which passes over the Kunthipuzha, Velliyarpuzha, Olipuzha and Kuthirapuzha, a trip that keeps recurring in their minds. The railways also had plans to operate vista dome cars on the route.
The most notable of the railway stations en route is Angadipuram, a favourite location of Malayalam filmmakers who worked on films centred on railway tracks and stations.
The trip concludes at Nilambur, one of Kerala’s most renowned tourist destinations, which is easily accessible via Ooty in Tamil Nadu and Mysuru in Karnataka by road.
Nilambur has India’s first teak plantation, and the country’s only teak museum as well as a bio-resource park located in a local butterfly sanctuary.
Nedumkayam, known for its rain forests, is located 18 km from Nilambur. The Adyanpara waterfalls are near Nedumkayam and provide a cool dip. Keralamkundu, a recent backpacker hotspot, is also close to Nilambur.
According to history, the British constructed the Shoranur-Nilambur railway line in 1921 to transport teak and rosewood from Ooty and nearby areas that make up the present Nilgiris region of Tamil Nadu.
To address a shortage of steel, the English cut down hundreds of teak trees during WW-II and transported them to Kochi before shipping them to their home country.
The picturesque natural bounty will soon be a memory if the Indian Railways goes ahead with its modernisation plan, which includes the axing of 5,000 trees flanking the railway track. The lovely gulmohars will give way for an electric substation, as the railways has been pushing for electrification of the route to slash operational costs.
Platform at Melattur station. Photo: Kerala Tourism
While the upgrading would eliminate the route’s tourism appeal and the possibility of operating vista dome coaches, the railway has stated that it will operate many MEMU trains on the route for the benefit of commuters.
Currently, seven trains operate on the route.
After felling the trees that obstruct development, the Railways will erect 930 electric poles throughout the length to ensure electrification till the final point, the Nilambur Road station.
Authorities hope to finish the whole process in two years.
The railway stations along the line are currently supported by rudimentary structures, and the platforms are small and low, placed amid dense foliage that flanks the tracks.
They would be improved after the modernization process was launched.
In a letter to Union Railway Minister Aswini Vaishnav, Thomas Lawrence of Thiruvananthapuram-based environmental NGO SWIM requested that the railway line be preserved so that it might promote heritage tourism.
He told South First that the ₹70 crore modernisation would destroy a popular tourism potential in Kerala that does not hurt the environment.
He encouraged the minister to proclaim it a historic train service along the lines of the Nilgiri, Kalka, and Darjeeling mountain railways and to operate tourist-friendly trains that would fulfil the needs of local commuters as well.
”Nilambur is Kerala’s sole terminus, and there are no immediate plans to restart the long-stalled Nilambur-Mysuru railway line project. It is horrible to think that the trees would be killed to aid modernisation,” Veena Maruthur, a major environmental campaigner, said.
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