CRS carries out safety inspection of double line between Kulashekar and Jokatte

MANGALURU: KA Manoharan, commissioner of railway safety, Southern Circle on Tuesday inspected the new double line between Kulashekar and Jokatte. Accompanied by Palakkad divisional railway manager Pratap Singh Shami and officials of construction department of the Southern Railway, Manoharan studied the double line. A high speed trial was also conducted in the section at 120kmph to check the stability of the track later in the evening.

The track doubling is part of Mangaluru Junction-Panambur doubling project where 11.5-odd km stretch between Padil and Jokatte, the last station of Southern Railway towards Konkan Railway jurisdiction, is getting completed. Manoharan inspected the distance of 8.16-kms of the newly laid double line between Kulashekar and Jokatte. Pratap Singh Shami said that the CRS inspection went on smoothly and to the satisfaction of Manoharan.

Construction department of Southern Railway is in-charge of the doubling. The section will be handed over to Palakkad division for operation after minor observations regarding to track safety made by the CRS is rectified. “We are optimistic that we will be able to operate the double line by end of March,” Pratap Singh said, adding it will reduce the travel time by 15 minutes since the division at present is facing difficulty with the single line on the stretch.

However, with the tunnelling work at Kulashekar likely to take some more time and expected to be completed by end of December, the connectivity from Southern Railway to Konkan Railway will be seamless once the work is completed. The division authorities had on Monday warned people and construction workers not to approach the track or work in its vicinity on Tuesday afternoon when the high speed trial was being carried out for their own safety.