The line was originally built in the late ninteeth century and crossed between British and French territory at the Sankaraparani River.[4] It opened on 16 December 1879.[4] The line once had spur to major textile mill in Pondicherry[5] as well as to its port. Before broad gauge conversion, trains between Puducherry and Villupuram halted at Palliyaneliyanur.[6]
As of 2019, there were plans to develop the intermediate station infrastructure to increase capacity on the line.[7]
Services
The branch line serves superfast express trains bound for Howrah, Bhubaneswar, and New Delhi. There are also standard express trains serving several destinations, and local trains that run among the whole branch line.[3]
The station consists of 1 platform on a single track. As of 2019 there were plans to expand the station with a line block and siding to accommodate through service trains.[7]
Chinna Babu Samudram
Chinna Babu Samudram station is also located in the Viluppuram district. It was a former customs hub between the former British and French territories.[10] The station has three tracks, with a single side platform serving the southernmost track.[citation needed]
Villianur
Villianur station serves the town of Villianur. It consists of a single side platform serving a single track.[11] Like with Valavanur station, there are plans to implement a line block at this station.[7]
^Prasad, S. (15 July 2019). "Anglo-French Textiles mills yet to come out of severe crisis". The Hindu. Retrieved 28 July 2022. Anglo-French Textiles, once known as Rodier Mill, was established in 1898 by a firm with its headquarters in London. In 1899, the mill was even provided with a railway branch line connecting the Puducherry-Villupuram railway mainline
^ abcNair, Rajesh B. (30 September 2019). "Railways unable to keep pace with demand for services". The Hindu. Retrieved 28 July 2022. Plans are afoot to develop the stations at Villianur and Valavanur so that the line capacity could be raised
