India - Minister on gauge conversions

http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.a ... 06&sid=NAT

Khandwa (MP), May 13: Declaring Centre's intention to convert all

rail tracks in the country into broad gauge, Railway Minister Lalu

Prasad today said an action plan would soon be prepared for speedy

implementation of the conversion work.

"Gauge conversion of rail lines throughout the country would be

taken on a priority basis. An action plan would soon be worked out

to implement it", Prasad told reporters during a brief halt at the

Railway Station here while proceeding to Shirdi along with family

members by a special train.

The Railway Minister also promised early completion of conversion of

Neemuch-Indore-Khandwa-Purna section into Broad Gauge as part of the

project to covert Ajmer-Purna metre gauge line into broad gauge

track.

Asked whether the conversion work would be completed during his

tenure, the RJD leader smiled and said that his tenure would

continue in future.

Prasad also assured to examine demands for stoppage of several

trains at Khandwa junction

The minister is a well known loony, to the point in Parliament of blaming one of the Hindu Gods for late running trains rather than his Ministry. It is fairly obvious that this was just a 'bite' to appease the local electorate and has little real meaning.

Bing

The minister is a corrupt former leader of Uttar Pradhesh who was caught out in a fodder scam and placed under house arrest. He put is wife in charge of the State Government.

And of course, the charges and legal action was deferred when he was elected to what we would call federal government,  the Lok Sabha, where he became Minister for Railways, and immediately made some procurement decisions which would benefit certain industries he has well known fiducary interests in.

Indian Railways will continue to be in the news, spectacularly, until a nation-wide program is undertaken to replace all the bridges the British built during their days of the Vice-Roy.

You will continue to see pictures of trains careening of bridges into the drink below until this is done.

And wait to see what India will do with AWS.

When they say "all" do they mean absolutely all, almost all or mostly.  Even if a few narrow gauge lines remain because they are not worth the effort regauging them, this would make the Unigauge project a tremendous success.

Is the Unigauge project halfway done or what?

Are they also going to re-guage the rolling stock or will new stock be purchased?

--Bill

Look at the original news report. The Minister was on holiday travelling with his family. The train stops briefly at Khandwa. Khandwa still has a metre gauge main line running through it. The Minister promises that gauge conversion is on its way and picks up a couple of thousand votes in the process.

There may be a plan, there may be not. There may be a plan to have a plan...who knows. As I said before this guy is a fruitcake, albeit a very shrewd one and this report is just spin doctoring.

Bing.

AFAIK, they are offering quite a bit of Metre Gauge equipment to other MG railways, so that the money can be spent on new BG stuff.  While MG can be converted to BG, there are problems or limitations. For example MG carriages are wide enough for 4 across seating while BG is wide enough for 5 across seating, so you waste some line capacity if you reuse MG stuff on BG lines Also, MG stock on BG platforms starts to have an excessively wide platform gap.  There are of course a lot a MG railways in Asia, Africa and South America that might benefit from IR MG cascades.

BTW, Minister Yahdev didn't start the Unigauge project, IIRC, the previous BJP Govt started it.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060520/a ... 246940.asp

New Delhi, May 19: The railways' gauge conversion plans have gone off

the tracks.

The comptroller and auditor general of India (CAG) today made the

startling revelation that 107 out of 133 gauge conversion and new

line projects taken up by the railways in recent years are not

financially viable. The total outlay earmarked for these projects is

Rs 54,716 crore.

The report states that although Indian Railways have well laid out

financial norms for taking up new projects, these have not been

followed.

Sources said most of these projects have been sanctioned by various

railway ministers on political considerations and the practice has

been continuing.

The CAG report also highlights that 54 of the 116 works cleared, out

of turn, to enhance the safety of the railways had not commenced even

after one to five years of being sanctioned. These works were

sanctioned through supplementary demands for grants for new schemes

that were urgently required.

According to the works programme for 2005-06, as many as 62 gauge

conversion and 87 new line projects were in progress.

The CAG audit of these projects has shown that at the present rate of

funding, the railways require another 15 years to complete the

pending gauge conversion projects and 38 years to complete the

pending new line projects.

The report stated the projects were sanctioned without adequate

justification and decisions were taken during their implementation

without keeping in mind the original objectives.

Consequently, the core objectives underlying the projects were not

achieved.

Uncertainties in project funding and inadequate project planning had

an adverse impact on the efficiency of project implementation.

Delays in the preparation of detailed estimates, lack of co-

ordination with state governments for acquisition of land,

insufficient delineation of the scope of the projects have all

contributed to time and cost overruns.

CAG has recommended the railways should ensure the systems and norms established for the selection of technically and financially viable

projects are kept in view in the future before fresh projects are

taken up.

According to the report, railways should work out a clear plan to

complete all the pending projects within a reasonable time frame.

http://news.webindia123.com/news/ar_showdetails.asp?

id=712100696&cat=&n_date=20071210

Jabalpur
Monday, Dec 10 2007

Railways Minster Lalu Prasad Yadav announced that all meter gauge in

the country would be converted into broad gauge by 2010.

''This would help in increasing the number of trains,'' said Mr

Yadav, while addressing a function before waving green flag to

Jabalpur-New Delhi bi-weekly train.

Mr Yadav named the train 'Shreedham Express'. 'Shreedham' is a

station in Jabalpur division where Dwarka Peeth Shankaracharya

Swaroopanand Saraswati's ashram is located.

He said an action plan has been chalked out to lay special tracks for

plying goods train between New Delhi to Mumbai and Mumbai to Chennai

in the first phase. Later, efforts would be made to connect Kolkata

to other three metros.

On completion of the project, passenger trains can ply at a faster

pace. Besides, it would help in reducing number of trains halted at a

station.

However, he did not mention how long it would take to complete the

project.

Union Minister Suresh Pachouri described Mr Yadav as the most

successful Railways Minister of the country so far. His efforts

brought a turnaround in loss-making Railways, which started churning

huge profits.

He said state governments would have to extend support to Railways in

removing encroachment from its land so that the process of laying

tracks could be speeded up.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/08/stories ... 000500.htm

Gauge conversion of Manamadurai-Virudhunagar section to begin soon

MADURAI: An alternative rail route to Chennai from southern

destinations will be ready by October next year.

While broad-gauge lines between Karaikudi and Manamadurai are

expected to be laid by March, gauge conversion of the Manamadurai-

Virudhunagar section will begin soon. These sections will also

provide a shorter route to Chennai from Rameswaram and ease

congestion between Madurai and Virudhunagar.

On the core route, the doubling of the Madurai-Dindigul broad-gauge

line will be in by July. "These developments will facilitate

operation of more trains. The utilisation of the Madurai-Virudhunagar

section has crossed 140 per cent. Most of the ongoing gauge

conversion work in the division will be completed in a few months,"

Divisional Railway Manager Hemant Kumar told The Hindu.

Services soon

With the Commissioner of Railway Safety giving nod for traffic on the

newly laid Tenkasi-Shencottah section, services will begin in a

couple of weeks. The division has proposed gauge conversion beyond

Shencottah on the existing metre-gauge alignment, and the five

tunnels en route will be enlarged to accommodate the broad-gauge

rolling stock.

Mr. Hemant Kumar said the division, which covers 11 districts in

Tamil Nadu and one in Kerala, recorded a 22 per cent growth in

passenger earnings. Earnings in 2007 stood at Rs. 193.6 crore against

Rs.158.8 crore in 2006.

"Despite closure of 300 km of route for gauge conversion, we were

able to achieve this growth, which is higher than the zonal average.

Low-cost airlines have not had any impact on the upper-class traffic,

he said.

As part of the modernisation programme, two plasma screen monitors

have been erected at the main entrance of the Madurai station. They

are linked to the control room to enable passengers to monitor the

movement of trains, he said.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/13/stories ... 000400.htm

Mysore-Chamarajanagar line to be ready by March

Mysore-Nanjangud line was laid in 1891

Solapur-Bagalkot line to be thrown open in April

BANGALORE: Trains will start chugging again on

Mysore-Chamarajanagar and Bagalkot-Gadag routes in a

few months as the South Western Railway will complete

the gauge conversion work on the two sections by March

and April.

South Western Railway general manager Praveen Kumar

told The Hindu that the work on converting the tracks

from metre gauge to broad-gauge between

Mysore-Nanjanagud on Chamarajanagar section and

Solapur-Bagalkot on Gadag section was already

completed. Train services would resume in March and

April respectively, he added.

The gauge conversion work between Mysore and

Chamarajanagar (61 km) was sanctioned in 2001 with the

cost estimated at Rs. 85.36 crore. While the

Comptroller and Auditor General had termed the project

economically unviable, he had criticised the Railways

for the enormous delay in completion of the work.

The metre gauge track was laid in 1891 between Mysore

and Nanjangud and later was extended to

Chamarajanagar. Railways used to operate eight pairs

of trains on this section primarily catering to the

passenger traffic.

The metre gauge line between Bagalkot and Gadag, part

of the 300-km Solapur-Gadag section, was closed for

train traffic on September 24, 2007 to undertake gauge

conversion work.

The project, which is two decades old, is being taken

up under equal cost sharing basis between the Railways

and the State Government. Once operational, the line

would emerge as a vital link between southern and

northern States.

Mr. Praveen Kumar said the South Western Railway would

focus on doubling of tracks during the next fiscal.

Three important bottlenecks, where heavy traffic was

witnessed, would be taken up for doubling. The zone

had the capacity to lay 300 to 350 km of broad-gauge

line every year.

The bottlenecks were Arsikere-Birur (50 km),

Hubli-Hebasur and Dharwad-Kambarganvi. Being major

junctions, Arsikere and Birur sections had trains from

Mysore and Bangalore routes. These sections were

witnessing heavy movement of goods trains thanks to

transportation of iron ore.

Only broad-gauge

After the Bagalkot-Gadag metre gauge line was closed,

the South Western Railway has joined the unique club

of railway zones that had only broad-gauge lines.

Only very railway zones have metre gauge and

narrow-gauge tracks. Even after coming to have unigauge

on its entire route network, the share of South

Western Railway in the national track network is

abysmally low.

While the total track network of the Indian Railways

was nearly 1.08 lakh km, South Western Railway has

just 3,286 km. Of the 62,000 km broad-gauge route

network of the Indian Railways, South Western Railway

has only 3,112 km.

A supplement in the December 2007 issue of Rail Gazette International has a very good map of the Unigauge process.

New Delhi
Thursday, Jan 17 2008

The government today approved a railway gauge conversion project

linking Ratlam, Mhow, Khandwa and Akola at an estimated expenditure

of Rs 1421.25 crore.

The 472.64-km project, scheduled to be completed in five years, will

provide broad gauge connectivity for carrying foodgrains, oil cakes

and cement from Neemuch and Chittorgarh area and various products

from the Pithampur Special Economic Zone near Mhow to the southern

states.

Briefing reporters on the deliberations at a meeting of the Cabinet

Committee on Economic Affairs, Parliamentary Affairs Minister P R

Dasmunsi said the project would also facilitate movement of military

personnel and equipment to and from Mhow Cantonment. Mr Dasmunsi said there existed a meter gauge north-south link between Jaipur and

Secunderabad, having a length of 1469 km, which connected major

townships like Jaipur, Ajmer and Chittorgarh in Rajasthan, Ratlam,

Indore, Mhow and Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh, Akola, Purna and Mudkhed in Maharashtra and Manoharbad and Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh.

Out of 1469 kms on this route, 805 kms from Jaipur to Ratlam and

Secunderabad to Purna have already been converted to broad gauge.

Work on the Akola-Purna section, covering 210 km, is targeted for

completion by March this year. In effect, the section from Ratlam to

Akola, covering 454 kms, has been approved for gauge conversion.

The minister said Ratlam-Akola broad gauge conversion would restore a

shorter and alternative route connecting Secunderabad and Chennai with

Jaipur, Ratlam, Indore, Khandwa, Akola and other towns in north-west

Rajasthan.

http://news.webindia123.com/news/ar_showdetails.asp?

id=801170156&cat=&n_date=20080117

SR : New broad gauge section to be inaugurated on Feb 7
http://news.webindia123.com/news/ar_sho ... e=20080205

Chennai
Tuesday, Feb 5 2008 IST

Minister of State for Railways R Velu will inaugurate the newly converted broad gauge section between Tenkasi and Sengottai on February 7..

The Minister will also flag off train services between these stations.

The inaugural special passenger train would leave Sengottai at 1145 hrs and reach Tenkasi at 1200 hrs. The train would leave Tenkasi at 1215 hrs and reach Madurai at 1550 hrs. With the opening of the section, various trains, extended to/starting from Sengottai (regular service), included Madurai-Tenkasi passenger special, Tenkasi-Madurai Passenger, Madurai-Tenkasi passenger, Chennai Egmore-Tenkasi Pothigai Express, Tenkasi-Chennai Egmore Pothigai Express, Tenkasi-Madurai Passenger, Madurai-Tenkasi Passenger and Tenkasi-Madurai Passenger special, the release added.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/09/stories ... 190500.htm

Distance between Hyderabad and Chennai to be reduced

by 200 km

Gauge conversion between Pakala-Madanapalle,

Dharmavaram-Madanapalle line is 141 km long

Total estimated cost of the conversion work is around

Rs. 275 crore

ANANTAPUR: The metre-gauge trains running between

Dharmavaram and Madanapalle would be stopped from

March 10 to take up the gauge conversion work,

according to Divisional Railway Manager, Guntakal, A.

Manohar. The work is expected to be completed by April

2009.

Two trains each were running every day on both

directions now on the metre gauge line, he stated at

Kadiri. The Dharmavaram-Madanapalle line is part of

Guntakal-Pakala line of 225 km distance. The gauge

conversion was already completed between Pakala and

Madanapalle and the Dharmavaram-Madanapalle line was

about 141 kms. long.

Alternative

Though there is metre gauge line between Dharmavaram

and Anantapur now the broad gauge trains could be run

on the existing main line. Besides, the

Guntakal-Kalluru metre gauge line is yet to be taken

up for conversion. However, alternative line is

available between the two stations via Gooty.

Similarly, Kalluru-Anantapur is also connected by main

line though metre gauge section too is existing.

Once completed, it is expected that the

Guntakal-Pakala broad gauge line will reduce the

existing distance between Hyderabad-Chennai by about

200 km and that of Hyderabad-Tirupati considerably.

Meanwhile, district president of BJP M.S.

Parthasarathi submitted a memorandum to the DRM

requesting him to run the trains till the completion

of ‘Brahmostavams’. The DRM stated that he had no

objection if the engineers and the contractors

accepted the request. Senior officials of the division

were also accompanying the DRM.

The gauge conversion of the line was surveyed during

the NDA regime and was sanctioned by the UPA

government. It was estimated that about Rs. 275 crore

was required for the conversion work. The Centre had

released Rs. 5 crore in 2005-06, Rs. 18 crore in

2006-07, Rs. 85 crore in 2007-08 and another Rs. 55

crore in 2007-08 supplementary budget and Rs. 87 crore

in 2008-09 budget.

Kadiri railway station would be developed into a model

as historical and tourist places were around.

Hmm....

So many aussies interested in Indian Railways.

By the way the minister in question although a nut case and scamster has by far been the best manager of Indian railways. He is the first person to to turn around Indian railways to a record profit of INR 10,000 Crore (AUD

2.67 Billion).

Have you guys heard about giving the city keys to the thief. The result is that all holes will be plugged soon. This exactly is what has happened. so much so that one of the Management schools in my country has gone and interviewed him to find out how he did this miracle in one year.

And of course, Indian railways has about 62000 Route Kilometers of tracks managed by 1.5 million people (largest employer in the world) and is the life line of India. It provides one of the best facilities in the world for its employees. My father retired as officer (Asst. Signal and Telecom Engineer). He gets good pension and he and my mother get absolutely free Medical cover (includes medicine and doctor fees and only excludes hospital room rent. Which you cannot excpect in Australia as far as my knowledge goes. I live currently in Australia.). His open heart surgery was done at a pittance of total cost of AUD 1000 way back. He is having a hale and healthy life.

All his employed life (39 years in Indian Railways), he was housed in subsidized Indian railways housing (they are good), in which I was born and brought up along with my two brothers.

I am writing all this to give you an Idea about Indian Railways.

Remember guys, we were ruled by the Middle eastern moslems and the Britishers both for approx. 300 years each and got our independence in 1947. When the British left we did not have any money in our coffers.

Over the years we have reduced poverty rate to 25% (of 1 Billon people).

We have developed our own super computer (when USA refused to give one). We are one of the few handful of countries that launch satellites on our own rockets and mostly use it to benefit the population in terms of telecommunication/cartography/education.

Of course I do not need to talk about software engineering prowess of India.

And yes we did it all getting very little aid and mostly facing technology embargo from the big brother countries.

Today the same countries want to do trade with us, big time, knowing the amount of money that can be made is huge.

We yet forget/forgive their past behavior and welcome them.

Give us about 20 to 25 years with out war and I am sure we will grow to be a Nation of Par excellence not just in railways but in all spheres and proudly by our own selves, mostly.

Hmmm.... Did I talk about cricket yet.......

http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/09/stories ... 140900.htm

On 122-km Villupuram-Thanjavur section

CHENNAI: Gauge conversion on the Villupuram-Mayiladuthurai (122 km)

section will be completed before the year-end.

This section is part of the Villupuram-Thanjavur conversion project.

The stretch between Thanjavur and Mayiladuthurai has been completed

and opened for passenger traffic.

Once conversion between Mayiladuthurai and Villupuram is over, trains

can be operated from Chennai Egmore to the south via the main line

i.e Villupuram, Kumbakonam and Thanjavur, which has remained

suspended for more than three years.

It will provide an alternative route to Tiruchi from Chennai Egmore.

The project is being executed by the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), a

corporation formed by the Railway Ministry for speedy execution of

railway projects.

Pradeep Gour, project manager, RVNL, told The Hindu that except the

stretch from Cuddalore to Sirkazhi (56 km) conversion of the remaining

two sections "Villupuram-Cuddalore (46 km) and Sirkazhi-

Mayiladuthuri (20 km)" is almost complete. While trial runs are on

between Sirkazhi and Mayiladuthurai since March 31, the section from

Villupuram to Cuddalore will be completed by July this year.

RVNL wants to complete the remaining portion, between Cuddalore and

Sirkazhi, before the onset of northeast monsoon.

Work on bridges

He said there were 32 major bridges and 290 minor bridges on the 122-

km stretch. Of these, construction of 210 bridges was almost over. Of

the remaining 80 bridges, the sub-structure work (erecting pillars)

had been completed and super structure work (placing pre-fabricated

girders on pillars) was on. In the case of major bridges, the sub-

structure had been completed in a majority of the structures.

Bridge work across the Coleroon was going on. Earlier, RVNL planned

to put up pile foundation. But it was not feasible as there were

boulders beneath the soil in some places. In those areas, the

corporation switched to well foundation.

The project manager said they wanted to complete the entire bridge

works before the release of water from the Mettur reservoir for delta

irrigation when all channels would have heavy flow.

Another problem, according to him, was the non-availability of steel

and cement and the increase in their prices.

How much of the three narrow gauge were they when the Unigauge Project started (1000mm, 762mm and 610mm) and how much is there left now?

Its posted somewhere in this forum - try the search facility.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080525/nation.htm#9

Guwahati, May 24

Insurgency-related violence in North Cachar Hill

district has led to abrupt halt of works on the Rs

1,676 crore-gauge conversion project in the

Lumding-Silchar section of the North-east Frontier

Railway (NFR) passing through North Cachar Hill

district of Assam.

The project work is unlikely to resume soon as all 16

construction companies contracted by the Railways have

decided not to re-start work unless the Assam

government provided adequate security to their men

engaged in the violence-hit district.

The NFR Construction Contractors’ Association has told

the Railway authority that contractors, who have

suffered huge losses because of frequent disruption of

works due to insurgency-violence in the region, are in

no mood to resume work unless a conducive atmosphere

was restored in the area and adequate security was

provided.

The project work came to an abrupt halt in the wake of

killing of eight workers by the Black Widow or Dima

Halam Daogah (Jewel Garlosa) militants on May 10 last.

The contractors’ association’s general secretary

Shankar Das informed that all 16 construction

companies at a meeting with the NFR general manger

(construction) on Friday asked for ‘adequate security

to their men and machine.’ There were about 5,000

labourers working in the project braving constant

threat from ultras.

The Railway has been requested not to insist on

resumption of works till the state government provided

proper security for workers in the project that was

already running much behind schedule.

The gauge conversion project that was started way back

in 1997 and was expected to be completed by the year

2005. However, works in the project have remained

disrupted at regular intervals because of insurgents’

attacks. The project period was later extended till

2010.

“We have already accumulated losses to the tune of

over Rs 60 crore because of disruptions in work and

have asked the Railway to compensate for it,” the

contractors’ association’s official said.

He said all panic-stricken construction workers had

fled work sites in the violence-hit hill district

leaving behind all machinery and construction

materials in an unguarded state and it would take not

less than two months to organise the labour force to

resume work even if adequate security cover was

provided by the government today.

The gauge conversion project included 86 major

bridges, 337 minor bridges and 17 tunnels with a total

length of 10,328 meters. Out of these only 18 major

bridges, 292 minor bridges and 3,200 meters of tunnels

have been completed till date.

Meanwhile, all train services continue to remain

suspended in the Lumding-Silchar section as the NFR is

waiting for the government to provide bullet-proof

glasses to be installed around train engines for

protection of drivers against attacks by insurgents.

http://news.webindia123.com/news/ar_showdetails.asp?id=806290591&cat=&n_date=20080629

Bharuch
Sunday, Jun 29 2008

Railway Minister Lalu Prasad today announced free railway passes to

all girl students up to graduation.

The minister announced this while laying the foundation stone for

gauge conversion of 62 km Bharuch-Dahej and 62.89 km Ankleshwar-

Rajpipla sections at Samni, about 20 km from here.

The two gauge conversion projects are estimated to cost Rs 230 crore

and Rs 197 crore, respectively.

The Railway Ministry, he said, was formulating an ambitious plan to

help link major rivers in the country by laying pipelines on either

side of its 64,000-km long tracks spread across the country.

''The idea behind linking the rivers is to provide water for

irrigation and drinking water to people living in water-starved

areas. Railways have enough land on either side of the tracks, which

can be used to resolve the water crisis in the country,'' he said.

Mr Prasad said the railway's turnaround during the last four years

had received worldwide attention for having created a surplus fund of

Rs 69,000 crore without any hike in fares. ''I will take this surplus

fund to the Rs 1,00,000-crore mark before the end of the UPA

government's term next year,'' he asserted.

Describing Railways as the lifeline of India, he said his Ministry

had decided to do away with all the narrow and meter gauge tracks by

undertaking conversion projects in a phased manner.

The Minister denied allegations that Gujarat was being discriminated

with regard to sanction of railway projects. During the last four

years of the UPA rule at the Centre, projects worth Rs 14,448 crore

had been completed in Gujarat and 38 new projects worth Rs 6,600

crore were under construction, he claimed.

The Bharuch-Dahej gauge conversion would connect the upcoming Dahej

port on south Gujarat coast to the Indian railway network under the

National Rail Vikash Yojana (NRVJ), while Ankleshwar-Rajpipla gauge

conversion project, when completed, would act as a catalyst to boost

the socio-economic growth of this tribal region, he said.

The construction of Dahej-Bharuch broad gauge expected to begin soon

  Vadodara, September 22, 2008: The construction of Dahej-Bharuch broad gauge by the Indian Railways is expected to begin next fortnight. The conversion, from the narrow gauge railway line, is being done on

Private-Public Participation model with the help of Special Purpose Vehicles dedicated to cater to railway freight traffic from the proposed Dahej Special Economic Zone (SEZ).

  The major private shareholder in this project is RVNL with Rs 25 crore in investment which forms about 29.5 per cent of the total investments. Other private players include Dahej SEZ, Adani Energy, Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilisers Corporation Limited (GNVL), Birlas, Jindal and Hindalco industries.

http://www.thehindu.com/2009/02/21/stor ... 170300.htm

News for you guys,

Guntakal-Kalluru MG has been converted to BG. It is awaiting operatiionalisation. Expected to be comminssioned by May this year.

Here's a nifty map from wikipedia:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... ic_map.png

(Remember to press the button in the lower right hand corner to zoom in).

http://www.hindu.com/2009/02/27/stories/2009022757290100.htm

TIRUCHI: Southern Railway will take up gauge conversion work in

Mayiladuturai-Karaikudi metre gauge section soon.

This will be the last major metre gauge section in Tiruchi Railway

Division to be converted into broad gauge.

The project, covering a distance of 187 km, will be implemented in

phases with authorities planning to take up the work from

Mayiladuturai to Tiruvarur Junctions first.

The work between Tiruvarur and Karaikudi will be taken up in the

second phase.

The 38-km gauge conversion work from Mayiladuturai to Tiruvarur is

expected to start in April, officials told The Hindu.

The authorities are contemplating suspension of metre gauge train

services between Mayiladuturai and Tiruvarur from April to enable the

conversion.

The MG train services, which are being operated from Mayiladuturai to

Karaikudi via Tiruvarur and Tiruthuraipoondi and back would be

operated from Tiruvarur to Karaikudi and back from April.

Temporary maintenance works including laying of pit line and stabling

line have already commenced at Tiruvarur Junction prior to operation

of metre gauge train services from Tiruvarur to Karaikudi.

The metre gauge stock would be moved to Tiruvarur for operation of

train services to Karaikudi.

The officials said tenders had already been floated for the earth

work, construction of major and minor bridges, foot-over bridges,

station buildings, platforms and platform shelter as part of the

project.

The entire project would be executed at a cost of Rs. 711 crore.

The Railway Board had sanctioned Rs. 136.77 crore for conversion work

between Mayiladuturai and Tiruvarur, say officials adding that the

stretch had 18 major bridges and 192 minor bridges.

The Mayiladuturai–Karaikudi project was included in the Railway

Budget 2007-08.

The Railway Board had also sanctioned the conversion of branch line

from Tiruthuraipoondi to Agastiampalli to broad gauge standard.