Coimbatore: Nilgiris MP A. Raja has urged the Southern Railway to act on the long-pending demand for constructing a new Railway Line from Coimbatore to Mysuru via Mettupalayam, Sathyamangalam  and Chamarajanagar.

He stated that the project would greatly benefit the public and enhance regional connectivity.

There is also renewed interest in a 260-km Railway Line between Bengaluru and Sathyamangalam — a project originally sanctioned in 1996 during the tenure of then Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda.

According to railway users, the proposed Coimbatore-Mysuru line would directly link key cities of Northwestern Tamil Nadu — including Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode, Nilgiris and Karur — with major regions in Karnataka such as Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mandya, Hassan and even Mangaluru.

The proposed route is expected to cut travel time to Mysuru and Bengaluru by more than half compared to the current routes, significantly boosting transportation across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Interestingly, the idea dates back to 1915 during the British era, when a plan was prepared to connect Palani with Chamarajanagar via Sathyamangalam. Surveys were carried out in 1922, 1936 and 1942, and even survey stones were laid, but the project was eventually shelved.

The proposed line would pass through ecologically sensitive zones including the Sathyamangalam forests and Nilgiri ranges, providing rail connectivity to areas such as Talavadi, Gattawadi, Bannari, Sathyamangalam, Gobichettipalayam, Erode and Mettupalayam.

As per the current proposal, the route would include 277 bridges, 138 curves and 61 tunnels. Suggestions have been made to use tunnel boring machines to reduce environmental impact and to lay tracks with minimal disruption to forest areas. However, the project has been repeatedly stalled due to the lack of  environmental clearance.