Cost of electrification would be Rs.300 crore. Central Organisation for Railway Electrification (CORE) has completed surveys for electrification of the Erode–Tiruchi and the Tiruchi–Thanjavur–Karaikal broad gauge section.
The exercise was carried out after Railway Ministry in the 2012-13 budget accorded sanction for conducting electrification surveys in the two broad gauge sections in Tamil Nadu. The CORE Chennai Project Unit, which is executing electrification projects in Southern Railway and South Western Railway zone, is currently preparing the estimates for electrification of the two broad gauge sections after having completed the surveys.
The estimates would be forwarded to the Railway Board within a month to obtain its sanction. The cost of electrifying the two BG sections would be nearly Rs.300 crore, CORE authorities told The Hindu . A CORE official said electrification projects at a cost of Rs.550 crore were currently underway in different stretches in Tamil Nadu.
In the Chennai-Tiruchi-Madurai-Knyakumari trunk route, the section from Chennai to Dindigul has already been electrified by the CORE, set up under Ministry of Railway and executing various electrification projects across the country through its nine project units, including the one at Chennai.
Electrification works up to Kudal Nagar near Madurai in the Dindigul–Madurai BG section had been completed and application would be forwarded to Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) to carry out mandatory inspection and obtain clearance. The authorities hope that the stretch from Dindigul to Kudal Nagar would be commissioned by August.
With preliminary works connected with yard modification in Madurai currently on, electrification works in Madurai are expected to be completed by December. Joint checks were on in the Madurai–Virudhunagar BG stretch, which would be commissioned by December. Similarly joint checks were being carried out between Virudhunagar and Tirunelveli. Electrification works in the Tirunelveli–Nagercoil section had also been completed and application would be forwarded to the CRS to carry out inspection and obtain mandatory safety clearance for operation of passenger train services hauled by electrical locomotives.
