Indian Railways announce completion of doubling, electrification in Mumbai-Chennai sector

Indian Railways complete doubling, electrification in Mumbai-Chennai sector

Over 150 years since the two cities of Mumbai and Chennai were first linked up by railway, the lines have been consolidated, upgraded and electrified. The Indian Railways has now announced the completion of the Mumbai-Chennai doubling and electrification, which will not only increase the number of trains in the Mumbai-Chennai sector but also add to speed, cutting down journey time.

Latest in the works, a second line in the last segment of the 27-km Washimbe-Bhigwan section in the Solapur division of the Central Railway was commissioned.

Also, with this, the doubling of the entire quadrilateral route is complete nationally. The Diamond Quadrilateral project is to connect four mega cities of India, viz. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, similar to the Golden Quadrilateral highway system.

Officials said that the Mumbai-Chennai sector can now see more trains, as Central Railway finds ways to negotiate and add services though there are limitations due to congestion at the Mumbai end.

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The Mumbai-Chennai line is a railway line connecting Chennai and Mumbai cutting across the southern part of the Deccan Plateau. It covers 1,281 kilometres (796 miles) across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The Mumbai-Chennai line is a part of the Diamond Quadrilateral.

The Southern Railway has already strengthened tracks so trains can run at 130 kmph on the Chennai-Renigunta section. The work is part of the proposal to increase the speed of trains on the diamond quadrilateral between Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai, and the diagonal routes, to 130 kmph.

"Yes. Central Railway is also working on increasing the speed of trains in the section. Speed enhancement works are in full swing and will be completed soon. CR, in coordination with Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd, has opened 28 km section between Bhigwan-Washimbe as a double line section, and now, the entire section on CR is doubled. This will help to ease train operations and it is expected that passengers can now save about 40mins on the Mumbai-Chennai route," Central Railway chief public relations officer Shivaji Sutar said.

"There are approximately 25 lakh Tamilians who live in Mumbai city and spread over suburbs. Most Of Tamilians live in Madurai, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts to visit their relatives and look after their parents and live in their own houses which they constructed in their native places for spending holidays and settling after retirement. We have been demanding for the last 27 years to run the Mumbai-Nagercoil trains daily. Mumbai Tamiliians are deprived of daily trains to southern parts of Tamil Nadu, which is a genuine demand," Mumbai Tamilian Train Passengers Welfare Association. (MTTPWA) president Dr S Annamalai said.

"We would also like to bring to your notice that a large number Of Tamilians, business class Gujaratis, Marwaris and other State people live permanently in Southern parts of Tamil Nadu and often they come to Mumbai to get the materials to carry out the business. Train no. 16381 previously running between Mumbai and Kanyakumari now terminated at Pune. We also request the administration to run more regular trains between Mumbai and Nagercoil via Pune, Tirupathi, Thiruvannamalai, Vilpupuram, Thiruchirapalli and Madurai deleting the halt at roadside stations including Daund, Kuruduwadi, Sahabad. Yadgiri etc," association general secretary T Appadurai said.