In a major engineering feat, Indian Railways has completed the electrification of Sakleshpur – Subramanya Road Ghat section in Karnataka. This section is considered to be one of the most difficult and technically challenging rail routes of the Indian Railways network. Last December 28 was marked with the successful electric locomotive trial on this railway route. With this, this entire ghat section is now completely ready for operation of electric trains.
After this electrification, the Bengaluru-Mangaluru rail route is now completely electrified, which will significantly improve rail connectivity, operational efficiency and environmental sustainability in the region. This 55 kilometer long ghat section has very difficult geographical conditions. There is no direct access to the railway track by road anywhere on this railway route. It includes steep slopes, 57 tunnels, 226 bridges and 108 sharp turns.
Work on this project started in December 2023, under which 5 switching stations were built and overhead electrification work was done in the entire section. To maintain safety and reliability, the maximum distance between traction poles was kept at only 67.5 meters. Special arrangements were made for electrification in 57 tunnels.
Railways had to make a lot of efforts
Geological studies were conducted in collaboration with the National Institute of Rock Mechanics and Bengaluru University. To ensure long-term security, pull-out tests were also conducted at each bracket location to verify the strength of the anchoring. In a statement issued on this achievement, the Railway Ministry said that due to the steep slopes and difficult terrain, this project also required special equipment and strong technical solutions. Work was also affected many times due to heavy rains, landslides, soil erosion and falling of rocks.
An official associated with the Railway Ministry said that with the completion of electrification, this ghat section is now completely ready for electric traction. This will result in reduction in fuel consumption, reduction in carbon emissions and greater efficiency in operations. The way has also been cleared for operation of modern and fast electric trains like Vande Bharat on this route.
What did the Railway Minister say?
Let us tell you that this project will further strengthen the economic and commercial connectivity between Bengaluru and Mangaluru along with the coastal commercial centres. The running of electric trains will boost passenger and business traffic, which will also give new speed to trade, services and other economic activities in coastal areas. On this achievement, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that now we will be able to run Vande Bharat train to Mangaluru through this route.
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