Ending a wait lasting over a decade, Railways are set to commission the second track between Ettumanoor and Chingavanam along the Ernakulam-Kayamkulam stretch with a statutory inspection and speed trails by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS).
Railway officials said the track was slated to open for traffic by May 29 subject to an approval from the CRS, Abhay Kumar Rai. The inspection of the new track will begin from the Parolikkal railway crossing near the Ettumanur station by 8.30 a.m on Monday.
Seven motor trolleys will be used for the inspection, to be held between Parolikkal and the Kottayam station and from Muttambalam to the Chingavanam station. Following the functional inspection of railway bridges, level crossings and electrical posts, a review meeting to be attended by senior Railway officials and Kottayam MP Thomas Chazhikadan will be convened.
The speed tests using a special track recording car will begin in the afternoon and conclude by 5 p.m. While the constructed speed of the section is 110 km/hour, the department expects the CRS to approve a maximum speed of up to 90 km/hour. The section speed could be raised later based on the annual track report and the weather conditions.
The links at the Ettumanur and Kottayam stations will be connected before May 28, following which the commissioning process will be completed.
Having completed the track-laying works and with the signalling works in the final phase, the authorities are now focussing on modernising the existing track along the section. “It may take a few days but the entire work will be completed by May 28,” said an official.
Meanwhile, Mr. Chazhikadan has informed that the platforms 2, 3, 4 and 5 at the Kottayam railway station would be operational by May 28. The remaining two platforms – 1 and 1A – will be operational in another three weeks.
“On completion of works, there will be seven platforms at the station, including one exclusively for freight carriers’,” noted Mr. Chazhikadan.
Track doubling along the stretch, which had remained in limbo for several years owing to issues related to land acquisition, was slated to be completed by 2020. The project, however, was delayed by another couple of years owing to the pandemic situation and inclement weather conditions.
