The South Western Railway (SWR) has asked for allocation of MEMU trains from the Railway Board to operate them on the Bengaluru to Tumakuru line.
On Friday, Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) Abhai Kumar Rail conducted an inspection of the newly-electrified 56-km line between two points. The statutory inspection and speed trial at 115.4 km was conducted successfully.
Chief PRO of SWR Aneesh Hegde said that the electrification of the line is part of the vision of net zero carbon emission by 2030. At present SWR operates 29 pairs of long distance/express trains and five pairs of DEMU trains. Once the MEMU trains are introduced, they will replace DEMU trains on the line. “Electrification of the line is an effort to go green and provide a sustainable mass transit system. Money spent on diesel gets saved and operation of the MEMU trains system gives more operational benefits in terms of occupancy and others.”
The electrification of the line from Yeshwanthpur to Tumakuru is estimated to cost around ₹105 crore. There are many prominent stations on the line including Chikkabanawara, Soladevenahalli, Golhalli, Dodbele, Dabaspet and Hirehalli among others.
The SWR has also taken up electrification of Yelahanka – Devanahalli line, and officials are hopeful of completing the task by November. At present, the shifting of utilities by the KPTCL is a challenge as it involves land issues. After completing the electrification, it will be able to run MEMU trains to KIA.
