Shreyas H S
Pics: Meryick D'Silva
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
Mangalore, Apr 29: Here's some good news for Mangaloreans. If all goes well, in about a couple of years, electric trains will start chugging to the city.
Electric trains are likely to ply from Shoranur (Palakkad district) to Mangalore in the year 2016 after the completion of electrification work of a stretch extending 328 km.
The Central Organization for Railway Electrification (CORE) has finished work on the electric wiring for the down line (Shoranur-Mangalore) and has now moved on to working on the wiring of the upper line (Mangalore-Shoranur) in order to enable electric trains to ply on either direction on this route.
The Shoranur-Mangalore track, known as the ‘down line’, has seen the completion of electric wiring supported by masts. The line stretches up to Netravati and work on the upper line has begun.
Speaking to Daijiworld, V K Manoharan, deputy chief electrical engineer, Kannur, said, “The track will be ready in 2016 as a lot of work is still pending. However CORE has increased the flow of work to materialize the dream of plying electric trains before the deadline of March 2016.”
“Since the prime focus is on passenger traffic, Shoranur-Mangalore Central and Mangalore Junction would be well ahead in terms of readying the track as against the Mangalore Junction-Panambur railway lane. Work on this track will be carried out after doubling the track in the area,” he said.
“Apart from these, setting up of sub-stations will take maximum time in the second phase. In Mangalore, the sub-station will come up in Thokur. The substation will facilitate the running of rails supplying power provided by Mescom. As much as 110 KV power will be supplied to the railways which will convert it into 25 KV before feeding it to the electric lines,” he explained.
Within a month or two, the Shoranur-Calicut track will be finished.
Meanwhile, Mangaloreans need to be patient and wait for a couple of years before they can board the electric trains.