THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Sabarimala pilgrim flow may affect the railway’s plan to carry out maintenance works which is considered the major reason for the erratic schedule in the
Thiruvananthapuram railway division. While most of the work is pending on the Shornur-Ernakulam stretch, the railways will find it tough to carry out work by blocking the track.
“The frequency of trains on the Shornur-Ernakulam route hardly gives us a 45-minute gap,” said Prakash Bhutani, divisional railway manager of the Thiruvananthapuram division. “In addition, there are more special trains introduced in the single-line Kottayam section during the Sabarimala season. So we are planning to carry works on locations south of Kayamkulam.” Replacing a track takes at least 1.5 hours and trains have to be regulated. The delay is not likely to go down well with passengers. The Thiruvananthapuram–Shoranur Venad Express was short terminated at Ernakulam on Thursday as it was rescheduled by 2.5 hours.
With the pace of track maintenance as erratic as the schedule of the Venad Express these days, the Thiruvananthapuram railway division plans to bring a track-laying machine to speed up the work. The machine has the capacity to replace tracks and lay sleepers with at least four times the efficiency of manual work. It will be used for track replacement on the Kazhakoottam-Kochuveli stretch in three weeks, said senior divisional engineer (Co-ordination) Rajendra Kumar Meena. But the flip side is, it requires at least a five-hour block to carry out the work.
Less than 30 per cent of the 180 km meant for repairing has been replaced so far. The works were affected in August and September due to a strike by the Southern Railway Contractor’s Organisation (SRCO) demanding exemption from GST in railway contracts. The maintenance work is moving slowly due to a delay in awarding contracts and a shortage of materials crucial for the safety of passengers, said SRCO president Alex P Cyriac. Seventy per cent of the proposed work is concentrated in the Shoranur-Ernakulam and Kayamkulam-Thiruvananthapuram sections, and 20 per cent is in the Kottayam single-line section.
Most long-distance trains reaching the state run the entire length of the state to reach Thiruvananthapuram and the railways have limited options to divert traffic during major maintenance work. The trains are detained further due to patches of single-line in the Alappuzha and Kottayam section. Bhutani said the Railways had taken up safety seriously despite these constraints. Two incidents of train derailment last year prompted the Railways to conduct a detailed study of the health of the tracks in the state. Its engineers found track faults in over 200 locations.
Railways to tweak time to maintain punctuality
T’Puram: In the wake of rising complaints on train delays, the Railways plans temporary changes in timings of highly patronised trains, including Venad Express, to maintain punctuality at least in its most patronised section. The Thiruvananthapuram Railway Division will conduct a detailed survey among passengers to find the trains that require time adjustment. In a statement it announced that there would be detention to trains in Shoranur-Ernakulam section between 10 am to 4 pm and overall slowing down in other sections due to speed restrictions. All efforts are taken to reduce inconvenience to daily commuters by planning most of the works during night time and avoiding morning and evening commuter train timings, said the statement.
The trains are detained further due to patches of single-line in the Alappuzha and Kottayam section. Bhutani said the Railways had taken up safety seriously despite these constraints.
30% of the 180 km meant for repairing has been replaced so far.