The Railways have started the electrification work on the Shoranur-Nilambur sector. The work kicked off on Thursday with the setting up of an electric mast at Vadanakurissi, 3 km from Shoranur.
Railway officials said that the electrification work on the 66-km route was expected to complete by October. About 1,300 masts need to be erected for the project. Mast erection will be followed by contilever assembly and wiring.
A traction substation is being set up at Melattur as part of the electrification project. Switching stations are coming up at Vadanakurissi, Angadipuram, and Vaniyambalam.
The Shoranur-Nilambur line is one of the eight electrification projects being taken up in the Southern Railway.
The other projects are Podanur-Pollachi and Palakkad-Pollachi-Dindigul, Salem-Vridhachalam-Cuddalure, Madurai-Manamadurai, Tiruchchirappalli-Manamadurai-Virudunagar, Tenkasi-Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur, and Tenkasi-Virudunagar. The Railways have allocated ₹587.53 crore for the electrification projects.
Chief Project Director (CPD), Central Organisation for Railway Electrification, Chennai, is the nodal agency for this project in Southern Railway.Deputy Chief Engineer, Railway Electrification, Palakkad, is in charge of execution of the project in Palakkad railway division. The project is being executed by L&T in engineering procurement and construction mode of contract.
The Railways have set up a 50 kWp roof-top solar power plant at its Multi-Disciplinary Training Institute here. The unit generates 6,000 units of power. According to Divisional Railway Manager Trilok Kothari, the unit would help the Railways save ₹43,200 a month.
The division has identified Thalassery as Net Zero station, with the 50-kWp rooftop solar panels erected at the station producing as much electricity as the station needed.
Palakkad became the first division in Southern Railway to obtain a consent to operate certification from the State Pollution Control Board for its 15 identified railway stations as per the guidelines of the National Green Tribunal.
