BENGALURU: For the first time in the South Western Railway zone, trains have been given green signal to run at a maximum speed of 110 kmph along two crucial stretches of the Bengaluru Railway Division from Saturday. The maximum permissible speed for these zones was between 90 and 100 kmph.
The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) of Southern Circle granted permission after a recent inspection of these stretches of railway lines. Divisional Railway Manager, Bengaluru Railway Division, AK Verma told The New Indian Express, “The Penukonda-Satya Sai Prashanti Nilayam-Dharmavaram electrified section, which runs to 53.1 km, has a maximum permissible speed of only 100 kmph. The Channasandra-Yelahanka-Dharmavaram stretch (via Makkajipalli and Nagasamudram) has a permissible speed of 90/100 kmph. Both have been given clearance for running trains faster from January 25.”
A senior railway official said the latter stretch, which extends to 174 km, will directly benefit travellers due to the stop at Yelahanaka. Passengers travelling on numerous trains along this route including the Kurla Express, Udyan Express, Sampark Kranti Express, Kacheguda Express, Gorakhpur Express, Sai Prashanti Nilayam-Chennai Express stand to benefit from it. “Most trains bound to northern parts of the country pass via this route,” an official said. Verma said the speed limit for these trains could be increased as infrastructure to support that speed had been completed in these sections. “Two other sections too are in the pipeline. We have also completed works on the stretches between Bengaluru City and Jolarpet as well as Bengaluru City and Tumakuru. Permission from the CRS has been sought to speed up trains here and we are awaiting inspection to be done,” he said.
Though trains were not running at the maximum permissible speed of 100 kmph in the last few years, they have been doing so in the last four months, said a senior railway official. “Since all infrastructure is well in place and we are running at 100 kmph quite smoothly, the increase in speed can be effected,” he said.