The Hindu : Kerala News : Electrified rail line likely to be commissioned on August 15

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 19, 2006

Kerala

Kerala

Electrified rail line likely to be commissioned on August 15

S. Anil Radhakrishnan

Commuters in the capital-Ernakulam stretch to save 20 minutes

Thiruvananthapuram : Electric trains will start running in the Thiruvananthapuram-Ernakulam railway section via both Kottayam and Alappuzha routes from August 15.

"All issues faced by the Railways had been sorted out and we hope to commission the electrified railway line between Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam by August 15," a top official of the Southern Railway told The Hindu. The delay in laying the 110 kV transmission line to the sub-stations of the Railways at Chingavanam, Perinad and Kazhakuttom was the main hurdle in completing the Rs.161.76-crore project. The rail electrification project, which commenced in May 2001, was scheduled for completion in December 2005.

The Allahabad-based Central Organisation for Railway Electrification (CORE), which has executed the project, informed the Southern Railway that they would complete all works by August 20. However, the Railways asked CORE to expedite the work so as to commission the line on August 15 as an "Independence Day gift."

General Manager of the Southern Railway Thomas Varghese and General Manager of CORE Mohandas reviewed the electrification project at a meeting at Southern Railway Headquarters in Chennai.

Initially, only a few trains would be hauled by electric locomotive from Ernakulam to Thiruvananthapuram. A decision on the mail and express trains to be hauled by electric locomotive is being worked out and would be known in a week's time, the official said. With the introduction of electric locomotive, the commuters would be able to save over 20 minutes in Thiruvananthapuram-Ernakulam stretch. The Railways would be able to save another 10 minutes needed for changing the locomotive in Ernakulam.

Moreover, they would be able to increase the number of coaches in trains and increase the speed of trains running in the stretch. The Railways have also plans to take more long distance mail and express trains at present terminating at Ernakulam to the State capital.

Commissioner for Railway Safety P.K. Sen had cleared the electrified 60-km stretch between Kottayam and Kayamkulam in April. The railway line up to Thiruvananthapuram Central has already been charged by drawing power from Palakkad. In case of any breakdown in the KSEB's grid, the Railways have made arrangements to draw power from Chennai or Vijayawada to run the electric locomotive.

The distance between Ernakulam and Kayamkulam via Kottayam and Alappuzha is 115 km and 100 km respectively, while the distance between Kayamkulam and Thiruvananthapuram is 105 km. The electrification of the busy Ernakulam-Thiruvananthapuram section would provide modern, energy efficient and pollution-free mode of rail transport to cater to the growing demand for heavy freight, high-speed passenger travel and mass suburban transportation.

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