CRS to inspect electrified Mangaluru-Chervathur rail line.

K.A. Manoharan, Commissioner of Railway Safety (Southern Circle), Bengaluru, will conduct the statutory inspection of the newly electrified railway line between Chervathur-Mangaluru in Palakkad Division of Southern Railway on Saturday between 9.30 a.m. and 1.30 p.m.

An official release said Mr. Manoharan will also conduct a high-speed trial run between Chervathur-Mangaluru Junction from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

SR has urged people adjacent to the lines between Chervathur-Mangaluru not to approach or trespass on the railway line.

The CRS is expected to issue authorisation allowing SR to operate trains hauled by electric locos after the inspection. Thus, the entire line between Mangaluru and Thiruvananthapuram becomes electrical.

The running time of trains between Mangaluru and the South is expected to improve considerably as electrification eliminates changing of locos from diesel to electrical at Shoranur.

The inspection marks the culmination of the third and final phase of 328 km electrification between Shoranur and Mangaluru. The 84-km electrified track between Shoranur-Kallayi was commissioned in March 2015. The 140-km stretch between Kallayi-Chervathur was electrified and commissioned in March 2016.

Electrification is complete in Shoranur–Mangluru section for the total track length of 328 km (including the double lines, service lines in stations and yards).

The 91-km Chervathur-Mangaluru Section includes 7 km from Netravathi Cabin to Mangaluru Junction and 2 km link from Mangaluru Central to Mangaluru Junction.

Power supply for the Chervathur-Mangaluru Section would initially be met from Chervathur sub-station and once all trains in the section are to be hauled by electric locos, sub-stations at Uppala and Jokatte too would be put to work.

Sectioning posts are coming up at Bekal Fort and Ullal and sub-sectioning posts are at Kanhangad, Kasargod, Kumbala and Netravathi. The section has maintenance depots at Charvattur and Ullal.

Deputy Commissioners of Railway Safety (electrical and signalling) G.P. Garg and Srinivasan, SR’s Chief Electrical Distribution Engineer S. Ramasubbu, Central Organisation of Railway Electrification’s Chennai Chief Project Officer K. Nagendra Prasad, Divisional Railway Manager Naresh Lalwani and others would attend the CRS inspection.

THE HINDU