Southern Railways revises maximum permissible speed

CHENNAI: Southern Railway on Wednesday announced revision of maximum permissible speed in few sections spanning to a total of 2037 route Kilometers for fiscal 2022 -23.

A total of 44 train services have been speeded up including Chennai - Gudur and Arakkonam - Jolarpettai sections, said a Southern Railway press release on Wednesday. Chennai - Gudur, Chennai - Renigunta and Arakkonam - Jolarpettai sectional speed increased from 110 km to 130 km, covering 413.62 Kilometers in total.

Further, speed has been enhanced in loop lines of various sections of Southern Railway for an aggregate length of 1445 route kilometers across the zone, noted the statement. In various important sections across the zone, including Chengalpattu – Arakkonam, Salem – Namakkal – Karur and Vanchi Maniyachi - Tirunelveli covering a network of 1218 kilometers.

The maximum permissible speed has been enhanced to 110 kilometers for a network spanning 406 kilometers, such as Coimbatore North - Mettupalayam, Tiruchirappalli - Pudukottai, Gangaikondan - Tirunelveli and Palani - Pollachi are some of the sections for which speed have been augmented.

As part of systematic and planned efforts to strengthen track, traction and signaling systems which are crucial for enhancing the sectional speed, a comprehensive upgrade of all the infrastructure required for train operations was carried out by Southern Railway.

These works involved complete track renewal, strengthening of bridges, easing of curves wherever feasible, barricading or construction of walls at locations where there is heavy trespassing, added the release.