Overcoming several hurdles, renewal of railway track has commenced in the 40-km Kollam-Kayamkulam stretch, after nearly two decades.
The work is being taken up as part of ensuring safety of commuters. Ballast cleaning has not been taken up in the down line for almost a decade and for two decades in the up line in the stretch.
Cleaning of the ballast beneath the sleepers using ballast cleaning machine after enforcing a four-hour line block was not attempted due to lack of ‘corridor blocks,’ increase in passenger trains from Kollam junction, and special trains for Ayyappa devotees running up to Kollam.
Ballast cleaning is a major work in maintenance of track and it will be stable only if the ballast stands. A ballast bed without any dirt and earth is needed for the smooth train movement, draining of rain water, and to absorb the resonance and transfer it to the ground.
“Without inconveniencing the commuters, we have commenced the track renewal along the corridor when the weather is good,” Divisional Railway Manager Prakash Bhutani told The Hindu.
Twenty per cent cleaning of the ballast in the down line has been completed. After mechanised ballast cleaning, worn out concrete sleepers weighing 275 kg to 300 kg are being replaced manually.
Track renewal has been completed in the 25 km Kollam-Karungapally stretch after enforcing line block. In the Kollam-Perinad section, 5 km of railway track has to be replaced. The Railways are waiting for the track relaying train that can relay the track in 400 to 500 metres at a stretch in four-and-a-half hours.
The Railways are not taking any risk after it was found that a fissure in the track led to the September 2016 derailment of 13 coaches of Thiruvananthapuram-Mangaluru Express near Karukutty. The 202 spots identified for immediate renewal of tracks in the division was under the stretches due for track renewal.
The Railways are using rails of 65 m instead of the conventional 13 m. A senior official of the engineering department said four 65 m rails are welded at the steel plant itself and transported to the site. “Thus, only four welding is needed in a km. This reduces the field work and ensures quality. We had also found that fissures develop in stretches mostly where field welding takes place,” he said.
In 2015-16, 155 track km was renewed at a cost of ₹75 crore. In 2016-17, the sanction is for 165 track km at a cost of ₹260 crore and 30% of it has been completed.
Periodic oscillation monitoring system is being used to detect vibrations in addition to permanent way inspectors inspection of tracks and monitoring of 6 to 6.5 km of tracks daily by keymen. The Track Recording Car is pressed into service to know the riding comfort.