Electrification of Shoranur-Mangalore-Penambur section of Southern Railway

The Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure today approved the electrification of the Shoranur-Mangalore-Penambur section of Southern Railway.

The cost of electrification of this line is estimated at Rs.302.50 crore with allocation of Rs.45.38 crore in XI Plan and Rs.257.12 crore in XII Plan.

The route Shoranur-Mangalore-Penambur falls in the Northern and Western parts of Kerala (315 RKM) and Karnataka (13 RKM) respectively on the Chennai-Mangaore corridor. Major traffic moved on this section is food grains, coal to industries, hardware, fertilizers, coir, paper, timber, cement, rubber, petroleum products, mineral ore, copper and other electrical goods.

BACKGROUND:

Electrification of Trivandrum to Shoranur and Shoranur to Chennai is already done and work is in progress in Trivandrum-Kannyakumari section. Electrifying Shoranur-Mangalore-Penambur section will ensure seamless operation in Penambur-Mangalore-Kannyakumari section (736 RKM) and Chennai-Penambur section (591 RKM). This will reduce the detention to good trains and will ensure faster movement of passenger and goods traffic.

The project is planned to be completed in five years and will be executed by Central Organisation for Railway Eletrification, Allahabad. The project is expected to be completed in the year 2014-15 and will cover two States, i.e. Kerala & Karnataka and six districts, i.e. Palghat, Mlappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur & Kasargod in Kerala and Dakshin Kannad of Karnataka.

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