CHENNAI: The Southern Railway has sanctioned signalling works worth Rs 92.31 crore across key stretches between Tiruchy and Thiruvananthapuram as part of efforts to raise train speeds to 130 kmph on south Tamil Nadu tracks.
The works cover over 96 km of the Tiruchy-Dindigul line at a cost of Rs 25.75 crore, over 220-km Dindigul-Tirunelveli route at Rs 37.14 crore and over 142- km Tirunelveli-Thiruvananthapuram line at Rs 29.42 crore, where double distant signalling is to be provided to support higher-speed operations. In addition, similar signalling has been sanctioned on more than 106 km between Thiruvananthapuram and Kayamkulam at a cost of Rs 38.70 crore, extending further along the southern corridor.
The sanction comes in line with the plans to expand higher-speed operations beyond the Chennai-bound network, where sections such as Chennai-Arakkonam, Chennai-Gudur and Arakkonam-Jolarpettai have already been enabled for the 130-kmph operations. Work is now under way to extend these speeds to other routes, including Chennai-Tiruchy and Jolarpettai-Coimbatore, where multiple safety, signalling and infrastructure interventions have been sanctioned.
On sections where 130 kmph operations are already in place, including Chennai-Gudur and Chennai-Arakkonam, additional safety works such as W-beam fencing and precast boundary walls have been sanctioned to restrict trespassing along the tracks. Similar measures are being extended to other stretches identified for speed upgrade.
The Arakkonam-Jolarpettai corridor, which is part of the Chennai-Bengaluru route, is also being upgraded with signalling systems including Train Protection and Warning Systems (TPWS), along with overhead equipment (OHE) upgrades on sections such as Arakkonam-Jolarpettai and Chennai-Renigunta.
On the Chennai-Tiruchy chord line, multiple works have been sanctioned in connection with raising speeds to 130 kmph. These include the construction of pedestrian subways to replace level crossings.
Similarly, on the western corridor, safety fencing has been sanctioned along the Jolarpettai-Podanur section to enable higher-speed operations towards Coimbatore.
Similar safety works have been taken up across routes identified for 130-kmph operations, at total estimated cost of Rs 2,373 crore.