Title - Maddur-Mandya speed trial on June 27 | The Hindu

The railway track doubling project between Bangalore and Mysore has achieved a significant milestone and inched a step closer to completion with the conclusion of the work between Maddur and Mandya.

The statutory inspection will be conducted by Sathish Kumar Mittal, Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), Southern Circle, Bangalore, on June 27 and speed trials will be conducted on the new double track between Maddur and Mandya stations between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.

“During the speed trial, trains will run at a speed in excess of 100 kmph and subsequently, regular train services will be introduced,” according to a press release.

People have been cautioned not to cross the new double line during the speed trials as it was fraught with risk and could endanger their lives. Trespassers are liable for prosecution, the release added.

The completion of the 19-km stretch between Maddur and Mandya is reckoned to be an important high point in the project as it will significantly reduce the running time of the trains in the section.

Railway officials said that this will provide a clear path for trains obviating the need to halt for incoming trains to pass at crossings.

Trains, at present, have a free run on the double track from Bangalore up to Settihalli. Beyond Settihalli, work on a stretch of 12 km remains incomplete and the line cannot be commissioned until the major bridge across the river Shimsha is opened for traffic, according to a railway official associated with the project.

But for this stretch between Settihalli and Maddur, the track doubling work between Bangalore and Mandya has been completed. Incidentally, the Railway Budget 2013-14 had stipulated a timeframe for completion of the work between different sections and as per the timeline, the Settihalli and Maddur section is slated for completion during this fiscal (2013-14).

However, there are major challenges confronting the Railways from the Mysore end.

Doubling work has been completed only till Naganahalli (8 km) and the work between Byadarahalli-Pandavapura section (10 km) and Mandya and Yeliyur (8 km) are targeted for completion by March 31, 2014.

The major hurdle is to shift the 19th century armoury of Tipu Sultan at the Srirangapatna railway station.

The completion of the two major bridges across the river Cauvery at Srirangapatana will be synchronised with the completion of the pending work and the track doubling on the entire section between Bangalore and Mysore may be ready by mid-2014.