Having handed over the electrified stretch in the Tiruchi-Thanjavur broad gauge section to Tiruchi Railway Division for operation of electric loco-hauled trains, the Central Organisation for Railway Electrification (CORE) has decided to give a push to the remaining section from Thanjavur to Karaikal via Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam.
The work order for executing the electrification project has been awarded to a Mumbai-based agency in the single line stretch from Thanjavur to Tiruvarur and from thereon up to Karaikal.
With foundation work for laying electric poles having already begun from Thanjavur to Tiruvarur, the project is set to get a fillip with the new agency entrusted with the task, a senior CORE official said.
The Lucknow-headquartered CORE, which comes under the Ministry of Railways and entrusted with the task of electrifying railway routes across the country, carried out electrification of the 50-km double line section from Tiruchi to Thanjavur as part of the Tiruchi–Thanjavur–Tiruvarur-Nagapattinam–Karaikal overhead electrification project.
The plan is also to electrify another stretch from Nagapattinam to Velankanni.
The statutory clearance from the Commissioner of Railway Safety, Bengaluru, for introduction of electric loco-hauled passenger and freight trains post-inspection of the energised stretch came in March.
Attending to a host of observations made by the Commissioner of Railway on the Tiruchi-Thanjavur stretch, CORE handed over the electrified section to Tiruchi Railway Division recently for operation of trains, the official said.
It is now up to the Division to take a call on operation of electric-loco hauled trains from Tiruchi to Thanjavur, the official added.
CORE has given a push to complete the overhead electrification works from Thanjavur to Tiruvarur by March 2020 and up to Karaikal by August next. The benefit of the entire project can be realised once the works are completed up to Karaikal.
Although electric loco-hauled trains can be operated in the double line section up to Thanjavur from Tiruchi at present, the loco change over has to be done for continuance of journey from Thanjavur to Karaikal since the section is yet to be energised.
The Tiruchi- Thanjavur - Karaikal electrification project covering one part of the delta region from where freight movement by rail has been substantial is one among the major overhead electrification projects taken up by CORE in Tamil Nadu.
It had already energised the Tiruchi - Karur-Erode and Karur - Salem and Karur- Dindigul broad gauge sections.
