Sectional speed of trains raised

TIRUCHI

The Chief Bridge Engineer, Southern Railway, has authorised an increase in the sectional speed of trains on the Mayiladuthurai - Thanjavur broad gauge stretch from the existing 90 kilometres to 100 kilometres per hour.

An order to this effect was issued by the Chief Bridge Engineer recently with a copy marked to the Tiruchi Divisional Railway Manager. Ahead of issuing the authorisation letter, the Chief Bridge Engineer conducted a rear window inspection by travelling on board a special train last week on that section.

Railway sources said the authorisation letter was issued by the officer after being satisfied with works carried out to attend to deficiencies. The authorisation letter permitting to raise the sectional speed in the 70 -km stretch comes into immediate effect.

The Mayiladuthurai - Thanjavur broad gauge stretch comes under the mainline section from Villupuram Junction to Thanjavur Junction via Panruti, Tiruppadripuliyur, Cuddalore, Chidambaram, Sirkazhi, Mayiladuthurai and Kumbakonam. The sources said Southern Railway had already increased the sectional speed of trains from 90 km per hour to 100 km per hour from Villupuram to Mayiladuthurai Junction.

Consequent to the authorisation issued recently all mail and express trains would now be able to run up to 100 km per hour on the entire mainline section, said a senior railway official. The increase in the sectional speed from Mayiladuthurai to Thanjavur would reduce the time taken once train services were resumed, the official further said. The mainline section serves as an alternative route to reach Chennai from Tiruchi or to Tiruchi from Chennai in case there was disruption in movement of rail services on the chord line section from Villupuram to Tiruchi via Vriddhachalam, Ariyalur and Srirangam.

The mainline section with a single broad gauge railway line is presently witnessing the execution of overhead electrification project being carried out by the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited coming under the Ministry of Railways. The electrification project is now on its final leg with works under way from Mayiladuthurai to Thanjavur.