This is a 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge electrified line which begins at the Shornur Junction railway station in Kerala and ends at the Mangalore Central railway station in Karnataka.

This line passes through major towns including Tirur, Kozhikode, Vatakara, Thalassery, Kannur, Payyannur, Kanhangad and Kasaragod.

The Shoranur–Mangalore section is a strategic route and the lifeline of Malabar's economy that interconnects the important cities of this regions and also serves as a threshold to Tulu Nadu, Konkan and Mumbai from Kerala.

In 2 January 1888 the rail head at Beypore was abolished and line was extended to Kozhikode via Ferok.

[9][10] On 25 April 2023, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi flagged of the first Vande Bharat Express through this route between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod.