Chord Line, Tamil Nadu

Chord Line
Overview
Other name(s)	Viluppuram - Trichy railway line
Native name	கார்டு லைன்
Type	Regional rail Heavy rail Light rail
Status	Operating
Locale	Tamil Nadu
Termini	Viluppuram Junction (VM) Tiruchirappalli Junction (TPJ)
Stations	29
Services	1
Website	www.sr.indianrailways.gov.in
Operation
Opened	1 February 1929 (1929-02-01)
Owner	Indian Railways
Operator(s)	Southern Railway zone
Depot(s)	Villupuram Golden Rock
Technical
Line length	178 km (111 mi)
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Old gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in)
Loading gauge	4,725 mm × 3,660 mm (15 ft 6.0 in × 12 ft 0.1 in) (BG)[1]
Electrification	25 kV AC 50 Hz
Operating speed	80 km/h (50 mph)
Route number	21/21A[2]
Route map Legend Chord Line, Tamil Nadu Legend km to Chennai Egmore to Katpadi Junction 0 Viluppuram Junction NH 45A to Puducherry to Cuddalore Port Junction 22 Kandambakkam Thenpennai River 24 Tiruvennainallur 25 Parikkal Gadilam River 36 Ulundurupet National Highway 45 41 Meppuliyur 49 Puvanur to Salem Junction to Cuddalore Port Junction State Highway 69 55 Virudhachalam Junction Vellar River State Highway 16 National Highway 532 65 Vriddhachalam Town 70 Talanallur 74 Pennadam State Highway 141 Manjal River 79 Ichchangadu 83 Mathur 92 Sendurai 95 Vellur(Halt) 100 Ottakovil Madras Cements State Highway 27 109 Ariyalur Perambalur-Ariyalur Road 116 Sillakudi NH 227 123 Kallagam 134 Kallakudi Palanganatham 138 Pullambadi 147 Kattur Trichy-Paramsivapuram Road 152 Lalgudi 155 Mandurai 158 Valadi NH 227 162 Pichchandarkovil NH 45 164 Uttamarkovil Kollidam River 167 Srirangam Kaveri 170 Tiruchirappalli Town to Manjatidal (Golden Rock Byepass line) Diesel Loco Shed, Golden Rock Golden Rock Railway Workshop 176 Ponmalai (Golden Rock) to Tiruchirappalli Goods yard to Karur Junction Good shed road overpass 178 Tiruchirappalli Junction Junction overpass to Pudukkottai Rail yard to Dindigul Junction

The Chord Line connects Viluppuram Junction and Tiruchirappalli Junction in Tamil Nadu. It is the vital, shortest and busiest route connecting Chennai Egmore and Southern Tamil Nadu.

History

Until 1927, Viluppuram Junction and Tiruchirappalli Junction were only connected by Main line that traversed through Kumbakonam and Mayavaram, which was 240 kilometres (150 mi). Hence, the need for shorter route arose and construction began on 22 August 1927 for a new railway line via Virudhachalam Junction in phases. Initially, the stretch between Viluppuram Junction and Virudhachalam were completed and opened on 1 December 1927, the Srirangam - Ponmalai (Golden Rock) stretch on 22 August 1927, Bikshandarkoil - Srirangam stretch on 12 December 1927 and the entire stretch began its operations since 1 February 1929. This line gradually reduced the Madras - Colombo journey by around four hours.^[3]

Gauge conversions

Under Project Unigauge, the conversion from metre gauge to broad gauge was effected during 1992-93 and completed during September 1998.^[4]

Electrification

This stretch was proposed for electrification phase by phase by CORE. The electrification was completed during 2010.^[5]

Operations

Passenger services

The line experiences a heaviest traffic^[6] handling about 30 passenger and 56 express trains passing through every day in addition to goods train, particularly during night.^[7][8][9]

Freight services

The line has a number of Industrial establishments^[10] which utilises their nearby railway stations for their logistics and transports such as Central Workshop (Golden Rock), Cement and gypsum factories at Trichy, Perambalur and Ariyalur,^[11][12][13] and the Sugar factories at Villupuram and Vridhachalam,^[14]

References

External links

• Southern Railways - Official Website

Railways in Southern India
National network / trunk lines	Howrah–Chennai main line New Delhi–Chennai main line Mumbai–Chennai line
Other lines / sections	Chennai Central–Bangalore City line Chennai Egmore–Thanjavur main line Chord Line Coimbatore–Shoranur railway line Gudivada–Bhimavaram section Gudivada–Machilipatnam branch line Guntakal–Chennai Egmore section Guntur–Macherla section Guntur–Repalle section Jolarpettai–Shoranur line Kazipet–Vijayawada section Kollam–Sengottai branch line Kollam–Thiruvananthapuram trunk line Khurda Road–Visakhapatnam section Kothavalasa–Kirandul line Manamadurai–Virudhunagar line Mysore–Bangalore railway line Mysore–Chamarajanagar branch line Nagpur–Hyderabad line Nilambur–Nanjangud rail line (Proposed) Nilambur–Shoranur railway line Nilgiri Mountain Railway Palakkad–Pollachi line Pagidipalli–Nallapadu railway line Peralam–Karaikal line Sabari railway line (Proposed) Shimoga–Talaguppa railway Shoranur–Cochin Harbour section Shoranur–Mangalore section Solapur–Guntakal section Vijayawada–Chennai section Vijayawada–Guntur section Visakhapatnam–Vijayawada section Ernakulam–Kayamkulam coastal railway line Guntakal–Vasco da Gama section Pune–Miraj–Londa line Bangalore–Arsikere–Hubli line Pamban–Dhanushkodi branch line (Defunct)
Urban and suburban rail transport	Chennai Chennai Suburban Railway Chennai Mass Rapid Transit System Chennai Metro Hyderabad Multi-Modal Transport System Hyderabad Metro Rail Bangalore Bangalore Commuter Rail Namma Metro Kochi Kochi Metro
Monorails	Bangalore Chennai Coimbatore Kozhikode Tiruchirappalli Thiruvananthapuram
Defunct railways	Cochin State Forest Tramway Kundala Valley Railway
Railway divisions	Bangalore Chennai Bangalore Hubli Madurai Mysore Palakkad Salem Thiruvananthapuram Tiruchirappalli
Named trains	Ahilya Nagari Express Ajmer–Hyderabad Meenakshi Express Andaman Express Amritha Express Anantapuri Express Andhra Pradesh Express Bangalore City–Ernakulam Intercity Express Bangalore Rajdhani Express Bhagmati Express Brindavan Express Chalukya Express Chamundi Express Charminar Express Chemmozhi Express Chennai Rajdhani Express Chennai–Alleppey Express Chennai Central–Coimbatore Shatabdi Express Chennai Hazrat Nizamuddin Duronto Express Chennai–Jaipur Express Chennai–Madurai Duronto Express Chennai–Mysore Shatabdi Express Chennai Thiruvananthapuram AC Duronto Express Chennai Egmore–Mangalore Central Express Chennai Central–Vijayawada Jan Shatabdi Express Cheran Express Cholan Express Circar Express Cocanada AC Express Coimbatore–Chennai Express Coimbatore–Jaipur Express Coimbatore–Nagercoil Express Coimbatore–Tuticorin Link Express Coimbatore–Rameswaram Express Coromandel Express Ernad Express Ernakulam–H.Nizamudin Duronto Falaknuma Express Ganga Kaveri Express Godavari Express Gol Gumbaz Express Golconda Express Golden Chariot Goutami Express Grand Trunk Express Guruvayur Express Hampi Express Himsa Express Himsagar Express Hirakud Express Howrah–Chennai Mail Howrah–Kanyakumari Express Hussainsagar Express Hyderabad–Pune Express Indore–Yesvantpur Express Island Express Janmabhoomi Express Kanyakumari Express Kanyakumari–Mumbai Express Kaveri Express Kerala Express Krishna Express Kollam–Visakhapatnam Express Kongu Express Kovai Express Lal Bagh Express Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Ernakulam Duronto Express Malabar Express Mangala Lakshadweep Express Mangalore Yaswanthpur Express Manikarnika Express Mannai express Marusagar Express Matsyaganda Express Maveli Express Mayiladuthurai–Mysore Express Mumbai CST Chennai Express Mysore–Tuticorin Express Nagarjuna Express Nagercoil Passenger Nagavali Express Narayanadri Express Navjivan Express Navyug Express Nellai Express Netravati Express Nilgiri Express Pallavan Express Pandian Express Parasuram Express Pearl City Express Pinakini Express Poorna Express Pothigai Express Pune–Ernakulam Express Rajkot–Coimbatore Express Rani Chennamma Express Raptisagar Express Rockfort Express Sabari Express Samata Express Sanghamithra Express Satavahana Express Secunderabad Hazrat Nizamuddin Duronto Express Secunderabad Rajdhani Express Secunderabad Mumbai Duronto Express Sharavati Express Sethu Express Silambu Express Simhapuri Express Tamil Nadu Express Tea Garden Express Thirukural Express Tippu Express Tirumala Express Tiruchirappalli–Howrah Superfast Express Tiruchirappalli–Mayiladuthurai Express Tiruchirappalli–Tirunelveli Intercity Express Thiruvananthapuram Mail Thiruvananthapuram–Indore Express Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express Udyan Express Uzhavan Express Vanchinad Express Venad Express Visakha Express Visakhapatnam–Secunderabad Duronto Express Visakhapatnam–Secunderabad Garib Rath Express West coast express Yesvantpur Puducherry Garib Rath Express Yelagiri express Yercaud Express
Manufacturing units / workshops / sheds	Integral Coach Factory Rail Wheel Factory Golden Rock Railway Workshop Diesel Loco Shed, Golden Rock Kollam MEMU Shed
Railway zones	South Central Railway Southern Railway South Western Railway
Railway companies	Konkan Railway Corporation Kerala Monorail Corporation East Coast State Railway Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway Hyderabad–Godavari Valley Railways Madras Railway Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway
Agitations and accidents	1928 South Indian railway strike 1932 Madras and Southern Mahratta railway strike 1974 railway strike in India 1988 Kollam Peruman train accident Nellore train fire
See also	Indian Railways Bholu (mascot) Transport in Guntur Madras Time Thiruvananthapuram–Mangalore high-speed passenger corridor Annual passenger earnings details of railway stations in Kerala
Railways in India portal