Days after the Commissioner of Railway Safety, Bengaluru, gave his statutory clearance for operation of rail services in the Pattukottai - Karaikudi section following completion of gauge conversion works, the Tiruchi railway divisional authorities carried out a trial run in the 73-km stretch on Sunday.
The trial run was carried out by operating a Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) train from Karaikudi to Pattukottai in the afternoon. This is the first time after a gap of over five years that a passenger train was being operated in the stretch following CRS clearance after it was closed for carrying out gauge conversion works in the end of 2012.
Railway sources told The Hindu that the DEMU trial run commenced from Karaikudi junction with the train reaching Pattukottai in the evening. A top level divisional railway team led by the Divisional Railway Manager Uday Kumar Reddy travelled in the DEMU during the trial run.
The trial run was carried out as a precursor to resuming regular passenger trains in the section to ensure that all parameters were in place, said the authorities. The authorities said required staff would be deployed now that the stretch had been cleared for operation of rail traffic by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS).
The CRS after carrying out detailed inspection in the Pattukottai - Karaikudi section for three days from February 27 to March 1 following completion of gauge conversion works had cleared the stretch for operation of passenger and freight traffic at a maximum permissible speed of 75 kilometre per hour. While according his authorisation, the CRS had also directed that adequate number of maintenance staff be posted to maintain the converted line from metre gauge to broad gauge. The authorities said rail services would resume after completion of all parameters and deployment of required staff.
Meanwhile, the divisional railway authorities have decided to appoint Halt Agents on contract basis for the halt stations at Ottankadu, Valaramanickam and Kandanur Pudhuvayal falling under the Pattukottai - Karaikudi stretch. This measure comes in the wake of clearance of rail traffic in the stretch. They have invited applications for appointment of Halt Agents to issue ordinary and season tickets.
