To improve rail connectivity in the southern districts, the double railway line project was initiated. While work between Nagercoil and Chennai has been completed, work between Nagercoil Town and Tiruvananthapuram was expedited. As a result, new tracks have been laid for a distance of about 12 km between Nagercoil and Eraniel, along with electrification and signalling works, which are now ready.

Following this, Southern Railway announced that a two-day trial run would be conducted on the newly laid track between Eraniel and Nagercoil Town stations. Accordingly, on Sunday, under the leadership of Chief Electrical Engineer Ganesh, the train was operated slowly on the track for testing. The trial run was conducted from Town station to Eraniel using a test engine. During the test, checks were carried out to ensure the proper functioning of the power supply and signals.

Due to the trial run, passenger and MEMU trains were either cancelled, terminated, or diverted. At the same time, only important trains were allowed to operate on the route. However, due to the trial, trains were halted at several places. Meanwhile, a high-speed trial run is scheduled on Monday (March 30).