Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Apr 1: On the last day of financial year 2016-17, electric train began moving between the city and Chennai for the first time. A new leaf in the history of railway connectivity was opened with the running of Chennai-Mangaluru-Chennai super fast train on Friday March 31.

The train fitted with electric engine reached the central station here at 9.05 am and undertook return journey at 16.20. Henceforth, this train, which gets credit for being the first ever train to be propelled by electricity on this route, will be operated with electric engine.

The recent completion of electrification of rail road measuring 91 km between Cheruvathur in Kerala and the city had paved way for the introduction of electric trains on this route. After commissioner of railway safety of southern railway recently conducted safety check by running a train on experimental basis on this stretch and gave green signal for the running of the train, decks were cleared for introducing electric trains on this route.

The electrification on 315 km railway track between the city and Shoranur had begun four years back. Initially the electrification of Shornaur-Kallayi stretch of the route measuring 84 km was completed in 2015. The second phase of electrification between Kallayi and Cheruvathur (140 km) was undertaken in 2016, with the third phase of 91 km between Cheruvathur and city having been completed during this year.

Railway officials said that there will not be any immediate increase in the speed of the train due to the fact that the trains on this route are powered by electric engines. They feel that the passengers may have to wait before time tables of trains are revised during October this year. In the past, the engines of trains moving between these two cities had to be changed at Shoranur.