Speed upgrades on Konkan route completed but Kerala faces challenges due to curves
The Indian Railways has successfully completed an upgrade on 741 kilometres of single-track in the Konkan region, enabling trains to run at speeds of up to 120 kilometre per hour. However, Kerala's railway lines are facing challenges in achieving similar speed improvements due to sharp curves and the slow pace of track straightening work.
Speed improvements in Konkan, but Kerala faces hurdles
In the Konkan region, trains will soon operate at speeds of up to 120 kilometre per hour, as part of an effort to accelerate travel time and improve efficiency on the coastal route. However, when it comes to Kerala, the situation is quite different.
Currently, the Mangaluru-Shoranur section has a speed of 110 kilometre per hour, but once the train reaches Shoranur and heads towards Ernakulam, the speed drops drastically to 80 kilometre per hour, even for fast trains like the Vande Bharat Express. Although the Ernakulam-Kayamkulam-Thiruvananthapuram route can handle speeds of up to 110 kilometre per hour, the Ernakulam-Kottayam-Thiruvananthapuram stretch is limited to only 80-90 kilometre per hour.
Track upgrades in Kerala lagging behind
The plan to increase speeds on the Shoranur-Mangaluru section from 110 kilometre per hour to 130 kilometre per hour has not yet begun, with 288 curves along the route remaining a major obstacle. The Indian Railways had called for tenders in July 2023 to address these sharp bends, but there has been little progress. The original proposal aimed to complete the work within 12 months, but the process has been delayed.
Straightening these curves requires expanding the radius of sharp bends, which is a challenging task as it involves working within limited space. The Thiruvananthapuram-Shoranur stretch, which has 76 smaller curves, also faces delays, with tenders called only in October 2023. The work will involve altering curves ranging from 40 cm to one metre along several sections, including Thiruvananthapuram-Kayamkulam (22), Ernakulam-Alappuzha-Kayamkulam (10), Ernakulam-Kottayam-Kayamkulam (22), and Shoranur-Eranakulam (22).
Maintenance will be carried out during the corridor blocks (a period of time when a section of a railway is blocked off to allow maintenance or upgrades). However, this interval is only for a short time in many sections.
Benefit for Konkan route
The speed of several LHB coaches including the Netravati Express and Mangala Express, which operate through Kerala, has been improved on the Konkan route. The new upgrades will allow these trains to reach higher speeds of up to 110 kilometre per hour, a major improvement over the current speeds of 40-75 kilometre per hour during the monsoon months. However, conventional coaches are still limited.
The overall speed improvements in Konkan will be noticeable from November 1 to June 10, with speeds expected to range between 100-110 kilometre per hour on this stretch.