Track electrification of the Bengaluru-Mysuru section took a big step towards completion with the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation (KPTCL) powering the Bidadi railway substation on Wednesday.
This will facilitate the movement of electric trains till Mandya, and sources in South Western Railway told The Hindu that the Electric Multiple Units (EMU) would commence operations this month or in early April, after getting clearance from the Commissioner for Railway Safety.
Hitherto, EMU services on the Bengaluru-Ramanagaram section were powered by the substation at Whitefield. With the one in Bidadi becoming operational, trains can run up to Mandya.
“The substation at Yeliyur railway station is also nearing completion and once KPTCL feeds power to it, electric trains can run up to Mysuru. Services on the entire stretch between Bengaluru and Mysuru are expected to be fully operational either in June or July,” an official said.
This will also obviate the need for the Chennai-Mysuru Shatabdi Express to change its engine from electric to diesel at Bengaluru on its run from Chennai to Mysuru, and from diesel to electric during the return journey.
Cables to be drawn
Meanwhile, the Central Organisation for Railway Electrification (CORE), Allahabad, which has taken up the electrification project, has finished installing towers or poles along the track between Ramanagaram and Mysuru. Senior CORE officials said overhead cables have to be drawn along different stretches but this would not take long. The substations at Bidadi and Yeliyur will feed power to the locomotive through the overhead catenary or cables. In addition, two new rakes have also been procured and are in place awaiting commencement of services.
The substation at Yeliyur will become operational within a month, by which time the new bridge across the Cauvery at Srirangapatna would have been laid.
“Once the shifting of Tipu’s armoury in Srirangapatna is completed, the new steel bridges will be laid, after which CORE will step in to complete the overhead cabling for electrification,” an official said.
The track electrification is expected to cost around ₹210 crore, with the State government chipping in with 50 per cent of the amount, a senior official at CORE’s regional office in Secunderabad said.
The 139-km stretch between Mysuru and Bengaluru has high traffic density with nearly 24 pairs of trains (including weekly and bi-weekly services). On completion of track electrification, regular suburban services between the two cities will be introduced, reducing commuting time and enhancing connectivity.
