Title - Salem – Karur broad gauge sector to be inspected

The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) is expected to inspect the Salem – Namakkal – Karur new broad gauge tracks between February 25 and 27 for commencing the passenger service.Sources in the railways said that all major works have been completed in the sector and the Chief Administrative Officer of the Southern Railway would request for inspection to be carried out by CRS.

Technical team:As per Chapter III of the Railways Act, 1989, the CRS, accompanied by a technical team, would inspect tracks, passenger amenities at stations, ticket counters and other facilities to ensure safety for passengers and railway personnel operating in the sector.Queries, if any raised by the CRS, would be rectified and after obtaining the certificate, the division would request the railway board for commencing the passenger service.“Introduction of trains, timings, operational pattern and others would be discussed later,” sources said.Sources said to begin with, Trichy - Karur passenger could be extended up to Salem as after departing from Tiruchi at 9.30 a.m. and arriving at Karur by 11.10 a.m., the train thereafter lies idle.“Depending upon the availability of coaches, new trains could be introduced,” the source added.

Operations:Commercial operation began in the sector last November as a train with 58 wagons proceeding from Andhra Pradesh to Tirunelveli passed through the sector.The project initially started in 1997, was delayed by several factors with project cost revised from Rs. 225 crore to Rs. 630 crore.Upon commencing of passenger traffic, trains instead of reaching Erode and taking the tracks to Karur, can pass directly, thus reducing a distance of about 30 km.