Kerala - Kochi   

Ernakulam-Mulanthuruthy double line by year-end

KOCHI: The long-pending work on doubling railway lines between Ernakulam and Mulanthuruthy is expected to be over by the year end.

Apart from increasing the speed of trains, the doubling of lines on the 17-km stretch would considerably reduce the waiting time of trains from southern districts to call at the two railway stations in the city.

A high-ranking Railway official said the doubling work could have been completed nine months ago, but for the delay by the Kerala Water Authority in relocating water pipelines that criss-cross the rails at places like Ponnurunni. “Over a year ago, we had handed over to the Authority the land and money required for shifting the pipelines.”

Work on shifting the water pipeline near the Ponnurunni railway gate is on.

Two minor bridges have to be built in the vicinity of the gate, following which earth work and track-linking would be done.

With the new railway bridge at Thripunithura commissioned, the old one would be pulled down. Once the doubling work is over by December-end, the Commissioner for Railway Safety has to inspect and certify the new line as safe for trains.

As of now, 95 per cent of the doubling work is over. Ninety per cent of the work of laying overhead electric lines and the synchronisation of signals is over.

But there is concern about the inordinate delay in laying tracks alongside the sixth platform at the Ernakulam Junction station.

The track has not been laid despite the platform and the foot overbridge being readied four years ago.

Ninety per cent of the doubling work on the Kayamkulam-Mavelikkara portion is over, with some more welding and track-linking work pending. Delay in carrying out earth work, reportedly due to opposition from some local people, delayed the doubling of the Kayamkulam-Cheppad portion.

Work is on to double the Mavelikkara-Chenganur and Kollam-Punalur lines. “The State government is yet to acquire and hand over land in places like Kottayam, Kurupunthara and Mulanthuruthy,” the Railway official said.

The Kollam-Ernakulam Railway Users’ Association (KERUA) has, meanwhile, demanded speedy completion of the long-pending overbridge projects across the rails, at over a dozen locations in the State. Prominent among them is the Pullepady overbridge in the heart of Kochi.

The Railways has not even tendered the work on the 25-metre portion of the bridge which would link the approach spans which were completed over three years ago by the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala.

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