As early as 1886, a plan to link
Pudukkottai by rail with
Trichy and other places was mooted. But as the princely state of Pudukkottai was ruled by a king while most other parts of South India were under the British, protracted negotiations between these two authorities took place, specially with regard to the cost-bearing of the proposed railway line. Later, in 1921, a traffic-survey of the proposed
Tiruchirapalli-
Pudukkottai-
Karaikudi- line was prepared by Rao Sahib S. Krishnamachari of South Indian Railways (SIR). It was estimated that the cost of construction of the railway line would work out to Rs 1.32 lakhs per mile. After a brief period of construction, the
Trichy-
Pudukkottai line was inaugurated on 17 April 1929 and
Pudukkottai-
Sivaganga line on 1 July 1930. Beyond Sivaganga, a railway line to Manamadurai existed already from 1909, and by this construction, a direct connectivity was established from
Trichinopoly to
Manamadurai. == Location and layout ==