Yelahanka-Gooty railway line electrification likely by March.

Electrification of the Yelahanka-Dharmavaram-Gooty railway line (306 km), which could offer faster and comfortable journey to the north from Bangalore besides saving on the fuel bill for the Railways, is likely to be completed by March 2015.

Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd. (RVNL), which is executing the project since 2011–12 has completed the overhead equipment (electric cables) work in two years. However, the electrified line is yet to be commissioned as power transmission companies of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are yet to execute their parts of work.

To an RTI application by Sanjeev Dyamannavar of www.praja.in, RVNL informed that the work on overhead equipment was complete except for a 2-km stretch on which power lines of Transmission Corporation of Andhra Pradesh Ltd. (APTRANSCO) have passed through. Despite making payments to APTRANSCO in December 2012, the company is yet to shift the lines.

At the same time, APTRANSCO and Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd., (KPTCL) have to install transmission lines from grid sub-station to four traction sub-stations catering to the electrified line, RVNL said. It has made payments to the two companies. RVNL expects that shifting of lines and installation of new lines to the traction sub-stations could be completed by December this year while the mandatory inspection by the Commissioner of Railway Safety could be done by March 31, 2015.



THE HINDU