Tamil Nadu - Dindigul   

Dindigul-Pollachi line to be opened by October

— PHOTO: G. KARTHIKEYAN

Evaluation:Engine trial run on newly laid Dindigul-Palani broad gauge track on Thursday.

DINDIGUL: Newly laid broad gauge track between Dindigul and Pollachi under Madurai Division of Southern Railway will be opened for train service by October this year, according to railway officials here on Thursday.

Of the total 120 km stretch of track between Dindigul and Pollachi, work on 58 km long stretch up to Palani from Dindigul was over and work on the rest of the stretch between Palani and Pollachi will be taken up shortly.

250 bridges

The Southern Railway had constructed 145 small and medium bridges between Palani and Dindgul stations. There were around 250 bridges between Pollachi and Dindigul.

After the slow trial, the team will conduct another trial with engine and coaches on the same stretch. In the final trial run, engine and coaches will run at 120 km per hour speed to check strength of the track and other parameters including safe journey of passengers.

A special team of technical experts, mostly track inspection engineers, led by D.K. Singh, Deputy Chief Engineer, had conducted the first trial run of a diesel engine on the newly laid broad gauge track after completion of gauge conversion work between Dindigul and Chatrapatti in the morning.

After special pujas and rituals, the engine started moving at 10 km speed from Anumandha Nagar Railway gate near Dindigul railway station.

The team was travelling in an electric trolley in front of the engine and inspecting the new track. The inspection will continue till evening as the speed of engine was dead slow, officials pointed out.

The Dindigul-Palghat section was closed for gauge conversion on May 26, 2009. The work was taken up immediately at an estimated cost of Rs.500 crore.

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