Rock cutting work is progressing on 700 metres near the Kottayam tunnel on the Kottayam-Chingavanam railway route for laying the new double line during the lockdown.
Availability of labourers and reduced number of services have come in handy for contractors and the construction wing of Railways to execute the work. “We have been able to complete 50% of the critical work during the period,” a top official of the construction wing told The Hindu.
The diversion to the new line will start immediately after the Kottayam railway station. The limited clearance had forced Railways to abandon the tunnels and to go for a 700-metre open cutting of the rock and to construct two rail overbridges (ROBs).
One of the ROBs on KK Road above the cutting had already been completed and work on the second ROB at Kottayam railway station is under way. The track formation will be as per the normal procedures despite the rocky bottom. Side drains will also be constructed.
16.5 km remains
The work is related to the doubling of the 18-km Ettumanur-Kottayam and Kottayam-Chingavanam corridors. The yards at the Ettumanur and Chingavanam stations had been upgraded and doubling of only 16.5 km needs to be done.
The other works related to doubling were going on as per schedule, the official said. Seven contractors had been roped in for the ₹250-crore doubling work that is expected to be completed by December 2021.
Six viaducts
Tenders for six viaducts on the Ettumanur-Kottayam-Chingavanam corridor were opened on July 16 and scrutiny is on to award the work. Four major bridges on the stretch is another challenge. Three bridges are in Kottayam-Ettumanur reach and one on Ettumanur-Chingavanam stretch. Another ROB is also being constructed at Pakkil on the Kottayam-Chingavanam stretch.
Once the 16.5-km stretch is commissioned as per the revised target, the 114-km Kayamkulam Junction-Ernakulam stretch via Kottayam and in turn the entire 620-km Thiruvananthapuram Central-Mangaluru Junction stretch will become double line.