Title - Speed trial run on 10-km line

A speed trial run to measure the riding index of a passenger train at augmented speed on the 10-km Nagapattinam-Velankanni line was organised by a three-member team on Sunday. The special train with instrumented coaches and equipped with oscillograph was taken on the run to register lateral and vertical oscillation at varying speeds.An official told The Hindu that the run was set to measure and ascertain acceptable values of oscillation at increasing speeds. The speed trial was conducted at 100 kmph from Nagapattinam to Velankanni and in the reverse direction from Velankanni to Nagapattinam. The time taken was 7-8 minutes at the given speeds, the official said.Currently the 10-km run entails a running time of 40 minutes. The section has been demarcated into three parts with varying speed regulations. The first section has been designated with a running speed of 15 kmph, the second with 30 kmph, and the third one with 40 kmph .The Commissioner of Railway Safety, during the last inspection of the line had mandated construction of a five-km retainer wall to strengthen the embankments to ward off safety concerns due to breach caused by loose soil. The loose earth along the first section had hit the project works that was commissioned in 2010. The stretch, however, has withstood three monsoons since then. With speed trial run touching 100 kmph without hiccups, despite the torrential rain on Saturday, the safety of the stretch has been reinforced, said an official to The Hindu . The speed run was essentially a ‘data collection’ exercise that would be presented to the Commissioner of Railway Safety for revision. The three-member team included Ramesh Chandra Kumawat, Executive Engineer, gauge conversion; C.Kannan, Deputy Chief Engineer, gauge conversion; and Thiagarajan, Divisional Engineer, Tiruchi Division.