SCR completes electrification of two major sections on Mumbai route

Hyderabad, Dec 15 (INN): The South Central Railway has completed the electrification works on two major sections situated on Mumbai route.

They are ' 310 kms long Renigunta to Guntakal section on Chennai ' Mumbai route; and 161 kms long Lingampalli to Wadi section on Secunderabad - Mumbai route. The energization of the last legs in these sections this week marks a giant step forward in the progressive electrification of all major routes on SCR.

The electrification of Renigunta ' Guntakal Section was sanctioned in FY 2004-05. Works started from Renigunta and the track between Renigunta and Muddanur (180 kms) was gradually electrified in various phases during the period 2008-12. Subsequently, works have been taken up in the remaining stretch from Muddanur to Guntakal (130 kms). The last leg on this route, a 30 kms long Gooty ' Guntakal section, has been charged on 5th December, enabling running of goods trains on electric traction seamlessly from Chennai/Krishnapatnam ports to Guntakal. At present, 50 goods trains are being run on an average per day in this section. Complete electrification on this section will give boost to the freight traffic, especially to the movement of the commodities - coal, iron ore and cement via this route.

While the works on Renigunta to Nandaluru section (87 kms) were executed by Railway Electrification unit Chennai, the works from Nandaluru to Guntakal (223 kms) were taken up by M/s.Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL). Express/passenger trains will also be run directly up to Guntakal on this route after getting clearance from the Commissioner of Railway Safety, who is likely to inspect the Muddanur ' Guntakal section in January, 2014. The total expenditure on this challenging electrification project, spread over 310 route kms (736 track kms) is around Rs 392 crs.

Several infrastructural units like - 22 switching stations; 5 maintenance depots and 5 Traction substations form part of this project.

Similarly, the Lingampalli ' Wadi section electrification project over 161 route kms (411 track kms) was sanctioned in FY 2006-07. The works commenced from Lingampalli and progressed in a phased manner towards Wadi. The electrification works on Lingampalli ' Vikarabad section (50 kms) and Vikarabad ' Tandur section (41 kms) have gradually been completed in phases during the period from January, 2010 to March, 2011. The electrification of the remaining stretch from Tandur to Wadi (70 kms) has also been completed recently. The goods lines in the Wadi yard have been energized on 11th December, 2013, which will facilitate running of goods trains on electric traction continuously from Secunderabad to Wadi. Currently, around 25 goods trains are being operated per day in this route. Provision of electric traction on the entire route offers immense scope for improvement of freight traffic, mainly of the movement of commodities ' coal, cement and clinker in this sector.

The electrification of passenger lines at Wadi station is likely to be completed in January, 2014. Express/passenger trains will be run with electric engines in Secunderabad ' Wadi section after clearance from CRS, which is likely to be in March, 2014. This prestigious project has been executed by the Railway Electrification unit, Secunderabad, at a cost of around Rs 204 crore.

At present, the South Central Railway has got 41% of its route kms electrified i.e. 2375 route kms, out of a total of 5810 route kms. In addition, electrification works on another major section from Guntakal to Wadi are under active progress and works on Guntur to Guntakal route will also be taken up shortly.

Running the trains on electric traction yields several operational and economic benefits. An extended network of electrified Railway lines will enable seamless running of trains over long distances without any need for loco change from electric to diesel and vice-versa. It reduces the travel time benefiting the passengers and freight customers. Due to lesser detentions, average speed of the goods trains and passenger trains increases, which in turn improves availability of crew. Electric traction offers pollution-free transportation and considerable fuel economy, which is socio-economically beneficial.

SCR General Manager PK Srivastava complemented the team of SCR's officers for the commendable achievement of electrifying the two major sections as mentioned above. He advised the officials to speed up the progress of electrification on other sanctioned routes also so as to derive the optimal operational benefit.