KOTTAYAM : Ending a two-decade-long wait, the double line traffic on the rail track in the Ernakulam-Kottayam-Kayamkulam section formally commenced on Sunday night. Tirunelveli-bound Palaruvi Express from Palakkad was the first train to run on the new track after the completion of the 16.7-km stretch between Ettumanoor and Chingavanam.
With this the entire track in Kerala via Kottayam has been doubled except for 1.2 km. The work for the doubling of rail lines south of Ernakulam started in 2001. At first, the railway authorities sanctioned doubling of lines between Ernakulam and Mulathuruthi.
