Kerala was not having 2 railway divisions since time immemorial. The boundaries of the divisions and zones happened due to the haphazard planning and implementation of Project Uni-Gauge.

The formation of Palakkad/Olavakood division was a consequence of the forced transfer of division headquarters status from Podanur. Would you be okay with shifting the divisional headquarters to MAQ, to retain it with SR?!
...
more...

When Nagercoil and Kanyakumari were added to the Railway map, Kerala then carved out the Trivandrum division from Madurai division. The BG lines (TVC-CAPE as well as NCJ-TEN) went to Kerala and the MG lines (SCT-QLN) were demarcated with the remaining MDU division itself.

It would become feasible for the south TN districts to form another division south of Madurai to facilitate their development, if TVC division allowed for the return of NJT-TEN section and takeover the QLN-SCT line instead.

Similarly, current PGT division is hindering operations on the PTJ-POY-PLNI route and the only way to resolve this is it has to give up this section to MDU division and compensate its track length by adding SRR-TCR and GUV-TCR lines from TVC division.

You can compare the frequency of passenger trains on QLN-PUU section (MDU division) versus CBE-POY (PGT division) and CAPE-TEN (TVC division). There is nothing to talk about MAQ here. One dedicated daily to Bangalore and extending existing trains from MAJN to MAQ would have been a huge relief.

There are 5 odd passenger/MEMU trains between SRR (PGT div) and TCR (TVC div) halting at almost all stations en route. And this is one of the busiest lines in the country, see how the coordination between divisions doesn't become an issue here.

Given the volume of rail traffic in Kerala alone, you could very well do without managing the issues of NCJ or POY or MAQ. MDU division or MYS division are not as busy and also would be the source of the bulk of passengers travelling to/out from these locations (if adequate services were in place).

600 km track length is the minimum required track length for a division. Both PGT and TVC divisions could have added to their track length by fast-tracking the Sabari Line, Guruvayur-Tirur line, Vizhinjam siding line etc. This would have allowed for 2 divisions to continue to exist in Kerala.

Neither doing that while also stonewalling the concerns of neighboring state cities/towns cannot be a perpetual state of affairs.

Kerala or more precisely the Railway Unions and Associations of Kerala, do not want to end up with one railway division, which was why they were opposing the formation of Salem division tooth and nail two decades ago.

Multiple divisions translate into more job opportunities and division-wise resource allocation for the ancillary sectors that generate plenty of indirect opportunities for the locals.
...
more...

In the past, Kerala's priority had been getting an independent zone outside of SR, and they were pushing for it when SWR, NWR, ECoR etc. was formed. For that end they wanted to hold on to vast sections in Tamil Nadu that would go to Salem division or the (proposed) Tirunelveli division.

It is a different story how PGT and TVC divisions were the earliest beneficiaries of railway development in the undivided SR days (on par with MAS and SBC), and later some in Kerala would be calling out SR on not giving importance to their state and would be opposed to giving up Nagercoil or Pollachi as a tit-for-tat.

Kerala has failed to add new railway lines and their people are not enthusiastic regarding alternatives like the Silverline project. Its existing lines have reached saturation and further development would be a challenge for any entity (SR or otherwise).

On the other hand, you cannot go on ignoring the cases of persistent grievances faced by Mangalore, Nagercoil and Pollachi (nobody talked of it as long as it was under MDU division and its demand has been the mere restoration of the MG era services).

As there is no chance of Kerala zone materializing, or even if it could be sanctioned as an SPV like KR or Kashmir railway, the best thing would be to redraw the divisional boundaries to best serve the needs of the public than satisfying bureaucratic arrangements.

Kerala having 2 divisions was never the original problem but became one soon for 2 reasons:

1. The neighboring state towns (historically NCJ, later MAQ and POY after gauge conversion) were not getting the services they wanted.

2....
more...

They wanted to create a separate zone and were opposed to the formation of the SA division and what could still become the TEN division.

Being part of SR, Kerala got a headstart in rail development compared to Tamil Nadu and enjoyed higher priority all the way upto 2000 (All new lines in Kerala were laid in BG & Gauge conversion happened much early on plus got a doubled line across the state first while most of interior TN subsisted on what was British-laid infrastructure).

Kerala did not generate much freight traffic, but passenger traffic has been quite high due to the population density and geography factors (both ends of the state connected by one line).

The doubling of the ERS-KTYM-KYJ route was perhaps the only section inside Kerala that dragged on until the current regime. This section would have also been doubled sooner if not for the alternate path available through ALLP.

Kerala did not capitalize on this headstart it got in the 1960-90 and they did not go for new lines to expand their railway map while the existing line (especially ERS-SRR sector) started reaching saturation by mid-2000s.

This was instead blamed on SR, and there was demand for the creation of a new Kerala-based railway zone with PGT and TVC divisions (which was not likely to happen as both divisions were loss-making due to the comparative volume of passenger traffic vs freight) and that was countered from TN's side calling for creation...
more...

of SA division which happened in 2006.

POY was transferred to PGT to compensate for SA division bifurcation and has only since started to face a multitude of issues (poor maintenance of infrastructure as well as lack of trains).

MAQ was the only terminus for PGT division and north Kerala since time immemorial but since the gauge conversion of the Hassan line and opening of KR, has not received anything back.

NCJ-CAPE have been agitating since when they appeared on the railway map (again without which TVC division would not have been born).

DRM Offices at TVC division and PGT division have a track record of objecting to proposals from other divisions/zones citing all kinds of feasibility issues (POY) or capacity constraints (NCJ or MAQ). Nor do they bother to take cognizance of the views of the local rail passenger associations of these places which have festered into absolute demand for transferring these stations away.

You don't hear of such perennial issues from other state towns in SBC division or MAS division.

MDU division has taken in trains from Punalur such as Palaruvi/GUV-PUU Exp to TEN and MDU when it was proposed by TVC for inter-state passengers and to ensure connectivity for the Ghat section stations in its jurisdiction with the rest of Kerala. Is there a greater difficulty operating trains through CNV-POY than it is on the QLN-TSI stretch?!

There has been some capacity augmentation at MAQ and NCJ recently, what kind of services have been proposed? MAQ got 1+1 VBs and NCJ new pitline got Rajya Rajni Exp and about to get Vivek Exp daily run first thing.

If and when KR is eventually merged with IR, MAQ and coastal Karnataka would be in SWR's hands. But until then something needs to change.

There needs to be a transfer of the Wadi-Gulbarga line to SCR.

And...
more...

likewise the DMM-GTL line (maybe DMM-KLBG altogether) if the SCoR Zone materializes.

SA division have begun constructing 3 pit lines at PTJ.

POY just needs trains to run via CBE-POY-PLNI sector which is at the mercy of PGT division though.

This train extension must have...
more...

been forced by the Railway Board itself, as Salem division could have taken this to MTP (or one of the other trains) if decongesting CBE was the intention.

There will be one or two Government buses right outside Mandapam railway station coinciding with the arrival of regular trains. Else you will need walk upto the town bus stop which is 1 km away from where buses towards RMM will be available at regular frequency.

Recommend getting down at Ramanathapuram (similarly the bus station/depot is situated on the Main road right outside the railway station) where you will have no issues getting a seat.
...
more...

Traveling time should be an hour from Ramnad to Rameswaram, while it takes 30 minutes from Mandapam.