The Madras Railway was established in 1845 and the construction on the first main line in South India between Royapuram in Madras and Arcot started in 1853, which became operational on 1 July 1856.

[6] There are two locomotive sheds operated by Southern Railway at Erode.

[7][8] Coimbatore, Salem, Erode and Palakkad, on the line, are among the major and top booking stations of the Indian Railways.

[9] Jolarpettai–Shoranur line is a 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge railway line stretching for 366 km (227 mi) from Jolarpettai in Tamil Nadu to Shoranur in Kerala.

[10] The line connects with several other main and branch lines:[11] The mainline operates on 25 kV AC overhead catenary and was electrified in stages, starting with the Jolarpettai–Morappur sector in 1989–90.