RailEnquiry

Ludhiana: Having missed many deadlines due to various factors and faced hiccups all through since its conception in 2000, the 110-km-long Chandigarh-Ludhiana rail link finally seems to be getting near completion. The latest deadline of the project is March 31, 2013.After carrying out an engine rolling exercise on 37 km out of the 51-km-long New Morinda-Khamano-Samrala and Madpura-Sahnewal sections of the rail route today, construction wing officials of the Northern Railways said the track behaviour was normal and the diesel engine which undertook the maiden journey on the newly laid track had a smooth run.The officials aboard the engine were confident that the new rail link would become operational well before the latest deadline of March 31, 2013. The work for laying the railway track on the entire route has been completed although minor adjustments are to be carried out at some places. Once the Railway Safety Commissioner gives his nod, a full-fledged trial run will be carried out before the track is thrown open to the normal rail traffic, the said.Of the 110-km-long route, the 45-km Chandigarh-New Morinda section is already operational. Similarly, work for laying an additional track on the 14-km Sahnewal-Ludhiana section was completed recently. Work on the 51-km New Morinda-Sahnewal section was delayed a bit due to some difficulty in the acquisition of land and construction of two over-bridges. The work has also been slowed down for the past several months due to the non-availability of sand and gravel.With the Chandigarh-Ludhiana rail link becoming operational, the travel time will be cut down by 30 minutes as at present the trains have to take a detour.