Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd. (KPTCL) will complete the installation of a 220-kV line to feed the overhead lines of the railway track between Bengaluru and Mysuru by November.
The 4-km power line has to be drawn from Tubinakere to Yeliyur sub-station in Mandya district, and it is required for the introduction of Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) trains between the two cities.
This was decided at a meeting of various stakeholders, chaired by Chief Secretary T.M. Vijay Bhaskar and Additional Chief Secretary (Energy) P. Ravi Kumar, in Bengaluru on Saturday.
The project has been stalled because of a right of way issue, but clear instructions were issued to the departments concerned on Saturday to secure the right of way for drawing the power lines and to pay suitable compensation to farmers.
As per the agreement between the Railways and the KPTCL, the latter was to draw a 4-km power transmission line from Yeliyur sub-station to Tubinakere to power the overhead traction to energise electric locomotives. The Railways deposited ₹13.09 crore with the KPTCL in March 2017, but the work came to a halt as the lines were to be drawn over private agricultural lands and farmers demanded compensation way above the market rate. As a result, the Railways was unable to introduce regular MEMU services between Bengaluru and Mysuru.
Railway officials also explained that drawing power transmission lines was not their domain of expertise and that they had faced an uphill task while executing a similar project at Bidadi.
But the meeting on Saturday cleared the decks for expediting the work. Though electrification of the double line between the two cities was commissioned in February this year, introduction of MEMU services hinges on the completion of this power line.
“Completion of the work within two months is technically feasible as only 23 towers have to be installed, with six already in place,” said an official. Once MEMU services are introduced, they are expected to reduce travel time by about 30 minutes owing to better traction.
What has baffled commuters is the fact that the full benefits of the track doubling and electrification project — taken up on a cost-sharing basis, with the State government chipping in ₹510 crore — are yet to percolate to the public. “The full benefits will accrue for regular commuters once the 220-kV lines are drawn, which will enable the Railways to introduce MEMU service on a regular basis,” an official explained.