Electrification of 'challenging' Western Ghats track complete, Pg10

Key Highlights:

• Indian Railways completed electrification of the 55-km Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya section in the Western Ghats.
• The trial run of an electric locomotive was completed on December 28, fully electrifying the Bengaluru-Mangaluru line.
• Over 99% of the broad gauge network in the country has been electrified.
• Electrification work on the section was taken up in December 2023.

Detailed Insights:

• The Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya section presented engineering challenges due to its steep gradient of 1 in 50, 57 tunnels, 226 bridges, 108 sharp curves and susceptibility to landslides.
• Electrification involved constructing five switching stations and maintaining a maximum distance of 67.5 km between two traction poles.
• In the 57 tunnels, 427 main brackets and 427 spare brackets were installed, with geological studies carried out with support from the National Institute of Rock Mechanics and Bangalore University.
• India's broad gauge railway network electrification is now over 99%, second only to Switzerland (100%).
• Out of over 69,000 route km network of Indian Railways, almost 68,700 route km is now electrified, and the remaining tracks are scheduled to be completed by 2026.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Electrification: The process of converting railway lines to use electricity as the power source for trains.
• Broad Gauge: A railway track gauge where the distance between the rails is wider than standard gauge.
• Catenary System: An overhead system of wires used to supply electricity to electric locomotives.