Signalling that train services would be resumed in the newly gauge-converted Pollachi-Palakkad route in another one month, the mandatory safety inspection by Railway Safety Commissioner Satish Kumar Mittal will be held on October 5 and 6.
Southern Railway sources told The Hindu that the safety commissioner of the southern circle headquartered in Bengaluru would arrive in Palakkad on Sunday to conduct the two-day safety inspection of the new 54-km broad gauge route, laid at a cost of Rs.350 crore.
He will conduct a high-speed trial run by using an inspection special train in the newly converted route on Tuesday. The high-speed trial run will be conducted between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
The Railways have urged the general public to stay away from the route on the two days facilitating a comprehensive inspection, enabling early commissioning of the route.
The safety inspection is the last step in facilitating commissioning of the route, which connects Palakkad with major pilgrim centres in southern Tamil Nadu. Though the gauge conversion work was completed six months ago, the safety inspection was delayed, raising concern among train commuters. The Railways can run services on the route only after the safety inspection. Meanwhile, the Railways have started considering the option of operating Diesel Electrical Multiple Unit (DEMU) trains on the new route linking major pilgrim centres of both Kerala and Tamil Nadu. As per the plan, the first DEMU will be operated between Madurai and Shoranur to link southern Tamil Nadu with Konkan.
An Intercity Express between Kannur and Madurai is also under consideration of the Railways. The Thiruvananthapuram-Palakkad Amrita Express would all likely to be extended to Palani on the new route. The Railways are also exploring the possibility of extending the Chennai Egmore-Pollachi Express to Palakkad.
Of the 54-km stretch, 22 km is in Tamil Nadu. The rest of the stretch is in Kerala, spreading between the Meenkara dam and Palakkad Town railway station. The metre-gauge line between Pollachi and Palakkad was closed down in 2008 with an assurance that it would be reopened in 16 months as a broad gauge.
