Commissioner of Railway Safety, Southern Circle, Bengaluru, K.A. Manoharan on Tuesday began his four-day statutory inspection of the nearly 75-km Tiruvarur-Pattukottai section following completion of gauge conversion works.
On the first day, Mr. Manoharan carried out the detailed exercise in a nearly 25-km stretch from Tiruvarur to Tiruthuraipoondi.
Accompanied by Chief Administrative Officer, Southern Railway Construction Organisation, Sudhakar Rao, Divisional Railway Manager, Tiruchi, P. Uday Kumar Reddy and senior railway officials, Mr. Manoharan began the inspection from Tiruvarur in the morning on board a trolley on the newly laid broad gauge track.
Southern Railway Construction Organisation began the gauge conversion work in the Tiruvarur-Tiruthuraipoondi-Pattukottai section over five years ago. Railway sources said the Commissioner of Railway Safety inspected the curves, points and crossings, bridges and station buildings as part of his inspection.
He would be inspecting the next stretch from Pattukottai to Muthupet on Wednesday and Muthupet to Tiruthuraipoondi the day after. After conclusion of trolley inspection, the Commissioner of Railway Safety would carry out a speed trial travelling on board a special train from Pattukottai to Tiruvarur (75 km) on March 29 to ascertain the stability of the newly laid broad gauge track.
The completed work is part of the nearly 185-km Mayiladuthurai-Tiruvarur-Tiruthuraipoondi-Pattukottai-Karaikudi gauge conversion project taken up over five years ago. Southern Railway Construction Organisation had already completed the Mayiladuthurai - Tiruvarur and Pattukottai - Karaikudi stretches and rail services resumed following clearance from the Commissioner of Railway Safety.
The Tiruvarur - Tiruthuraipoondi - Pattukottai stretch has 14 major bridges and over 200 minor bridges en-route. The inspection has brightened the prospects of resumption of rail services in the section after obtaining his mandatory clearance.
