Commissioner of Railway Safety, Bengaluru K.A. Manoharan began a two-day statutory inspection of the second electrified portion of the main line section from Cuddalore to Mayiladuthurai via Chidambaram on Friday following completion of overhead electrification work.
The officer will also inspect a separate electrified stretch from Mayiladuthurai to Tiruvarur.
Accompanied by senior officers of the Tiruchi Railway Division and the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), Mr. Manoharan started the detailed exercise from Cuddalore Port Junction travelling on board a special train.
The RVNL, a Government of India enterprise under the Ministry of Railways, has been entrusted with the task of electrifying the 228 km main line section from Villupuram to Thanjavur via Cuddalore,Chidambaram, Mayiladuthurai and Kumbakonam and a separate stretch from Mayiladuthurai to Tiruvarur via Peralam and Nannilam (23 km).
The RVNL has already electrified the first portion of the main line section from Villupuram to Cuddalore Port Junction with trains being hauled by electric locomotives after the Commissioner of Railway Safety accorded mandatory clearance post inspection.
Railway sources said Mr. Manoharan would inspect the electrical installations established as part of the project from Cuddalore to Mayiladuthurai besides inspecting the signalling and engineering works during the day-long exercise. He would inspect the electrified stretch from Mayiladuthurai to Tiruvarur on Saturday and conclude the exercise by conducting a speed trial in the special train that would be hauled by a electric locomotive in the evening from Tiruvarur to Cuddalore Port Junction (113 km).
The sources said the speed trial would be between 90 and 100 kilometres per hour. Ahead of inviting the Commissioner of Railway Safety for inspection, the RVNL officials had conducted a trial run of an electric locomotive from Tiruvarur to Cuddalore via Mayiladuthurai.
Passenger and freight trains hauled by electric locomotive would be operated in the electrified stretches from Cuddalore to Mayiladuthurai and from Mayiladuthurai to Tiruvarur after obtaining mandatory clearance from the Commissioner of Railway Safety.
Presently, passenger and freight trains were being hauled by diesel locomotives on both stretches.
The last leg of the ongoing overhead electrification project in the remaining 70-km stretch from Mayiladuthurai to Thanjavur via Kumbakonam is apace with foundation work underway currently. The RVNL has targeted to complete the electrification works up to Thanjavur Junction by June. The entire project is being executed at a cost around Rs. 300 crore. The completion of the project would enable operation of electric loco hauled passenger and freight trains from Villupuram to Thanjavur.
The main line section is another important stretch falling under the vast jurisdiction of the Tiruchi Railway Division after the chord line section from Villupuram to Tiruchi via Vriddhachalam, Ariyalur and Srirangam. The double line stretch from Villupuram to Tiruchi has already been energised with trains being hauled by electric locomotives.