With minimal disturbance to the rail traffic, Madurai Division of Southern Railway has taken up strengthening an old steel bridge across the Tamirabharani at Kokkirakulam here on an outlay of Rs. 10 crore.
As the steel bridge, constructed in 1927, is not strong enough to withstand the speed of trains being hauled by electric locos, Southern Railway started the replacing steel girders in the bridge with pre-stressed concrete girders on Sunday last since it has been planned to undertake this work only on 17 Sundays from February 22. Line block for six hours – from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – for the seventeen Sundays has been permitted.
As the work was resumed on the second Sunday (March 1), a pre-stressed concrete girder, weighing about 40 tonnes, was fixed under the supervision of R.V.B. Babu, Additional Divisional Railway Manager, Madurai, and Senior Divisional Engineer Samson Vijayakumar. Five more concrete girders will be fixed on Sundays to come.
Following will be the pattern of train service in Tirunelveli–Tiruchendur/Nagercoil section on all Sundays from February 22 to June 14.
Trains to be fully cancelled on Sundays: Train Number 56766 Tiruchendur–Tirunelveli Passenger leaving Tiruchendur at 2.35 p.m.; Train Number 56035 Tiruchendur–Tirunelveli Passenger leaving Tiruchendur at 10.25 a.m.; and Train Number 56036 Tirunelveli– Tiruchendur Passenger leaving Tirunelveli Junction at 3.15 p.m.
Trains to be partially cancelled: Train Number 56767 Tuticorin–Tiruchendur Passenger leaving Tuticorin at 8.45 a.m. will be partially cancelled between Tirunelveli and Tiruchendur; Train Number 56769 Palani–Tiruchendur Passenger will be partially cancelled between Kovilpatti and Tiruchendur; Train Number 56770 Tiruchendur–Palani Passenger will be partially cancelled between Tiruchendur and Kovilpatti.
Train Number 56768 Tiruchendur–Tuticorin Passenger will be regulated / delayed at Seydunganallur for about 15 minutes and will arrive Tuticorin late by about 10 minutes.
