BENGALURU: With the electrification of rail tracks in full swing in South Western Railway (SWR) Zone, a full-fledged depot to take care of electric engines will become a priority. The diesel loco shed at Krishnarajapuram is being converted into an electric loco shed, which will make it the first of its kind in Karnataka. The contract for the job was recently awarded to Bengaluru-based Balaji Builders and it is expected to be ready by December 2019 or Jaunary 2020.
The New Indian Express visited the sprawling premises of the diesel loco shed spread over 11,080 square metres to get a first-hand feel of the unique place. The shed came up in 1983 with late Railway Minister Railway Minister Jaffer Sharief being credited for making it a reality. Senior Divisional Mechanical Engineer B Murali Krishna said 80 per cent of the existing infrastructure in place for the diesel shed would be utilised for the electric shed. “The remaining 20 per cent needs to be revamped. It will be carried out a cost Rs 10 crore, with Rs 5 crore each for civil engineering works and the purchase of machinery and other equipment.”
Two new sheds will come up of which one which will have tracks running up to 50m in length and another running up to 40m in length. “It is only the engine cabin that will be brought here for repairs. So, a limited track length is enough and we can house two engines at a time on the tracks,” he said. Overhead lights, overhead lines, traction motors, transformers, a 5-tonne crane that can lift engines, oil checking and oil cleaning sections need to be installed here, he added.
Senior Section Engineer P Sreenivasan said, “Switching diesel locos to electric ones is highly cost-effective for the Railways. It is environment-friendly.” Hubballi is the only other diesel loco shed unit in the SWR zone but it also cannot handle electric engines, said Murali Krishna. Arakkonam, Erode and Royapuram in Southern Railway already have electric loco sheds.