As track electrification work on the Shoranur-Mangaluru section is in the final phase of completion, the Railway electrification engineering wing is planning to conduct a test run using an electric locomotive on the stretch from Shoranur to Cheruvathur where the work has been completed.
The work on the Shoranur-Cheruvathur stretch of the Shoranur-Mangaluru section is nearly complete and the wiring work in the Cheruvathur-Mangalore stretch has also been finished.
Of the six traction substations planned in the section as part of the track electrification project, the Kannur South substation has been commissioned, while the work for the substation at Elathur is in progress, according to Railway authorities.
They also said that the work for the substations at Cheruvathur and Uppala have been awarded.
The work to set up the substation at Tirur could not be started because of issue relating to land, they said adding that work at Tokur could be started after some time.
“The electrification work from Shoranur upto Cheruvathur has already been completed and the 25 kV safety relay tests have been conducted using electricity provided through the traction substations at Shoranur and Kannur South,” V.K. Manoharan, Deputy Electrical Chief Engineer, Kannur project of the electrification work, said.
The completed lines from Cheruvathur to Mangalore would be test charged using 25 kV electricity before March 31, he added.
He also informed that the trial run using electric loco in the completed stretch will be done in a couple of days.
Residents cautioned
As the electrification project is nearing completion, the Railway authorities have started sensitising households residing close to the tracks to the precautions they have to take to avert mishaps from electrocution.
The officials said that the residents having coconut palms close to the track have been urged to cut them to ensure safety.
They said that the voltage of the lines is so high that light electric shocks could happen through induction if objects such as rods they use for plucking from trees reach within two metres of the lines.
Shoranur-Cheruvathur line ready for trial loco run
