Padil- Kulashekhara double line section commissioned

Mangaluru, March 21, 2022: The double line section between Padil and Kulashekara including the new tunnel (Tunnel No.4B) was certified fit and commissioned on March 21.

Train No.12618 Nizamuddin – Ernakulam Junction Mangala Lakshadweep Express passed through the newly commissioned double line section at 03.34 am in the down direction (towards Mangaluru)

In the up direction (towards Surathkal), Train No. 12617 Ernakulam Junction – Nizamuddin Mangala Lakshadweep Express passed through the newly commissioned up line and the new tunnel at 3.41 am.

Southern Railway took four hours of work for three days from March 17 to 19 for the disconnection work and on the final day 11 hrs work for cut and connection work and signal interlocking.

On completion of work, the new Electronic Interlocking panel became functional at Padil Station at 2 am today. With the completion of doubling work, the Jokkatte – Padil double line section has come into existence and the temporary operational station maintained at Kulashekhara got eliminated. 

On completion of the work, train services from /to Mangaluru and trains passing through Mangaluru are now following the normal train schedule.

Benefits of Padil – Kulasekhara doubling

Padil – Kulasekhara doubling work for a length of 2.26 Km (including a new tunnel of 780 m on the Up line) is the 4th and final stage of 19 km patch doubling work between Mangaluru Junction and Panambur.  

With the doubling of the Padil-Kulasekhara section, a bottleneck in train operations due to the presence of a short single line section (2.26 km) will get eliminated.

With the commissioning of the Double line in the Padil -Kulasekhara section, Railway can efficiently utilize Mangaluru Junction – Jokatte – Panambur section.

At present, coaching trains are frequently held up at Mangaluru Junction and Jokkatte for want of passage, especially when trains are running out of path (running late). Freight trains are to be moved in between the coaching trains whenever path is available. Hence freight trains are now frequently detained at Panambur and Jokkatte stations. With the introduction of doubling, detention to these freight trains will also be minimized.

The new infrastructure will ease the operation of both passenger carrying and freight trains. 

Tunnel No.4B

The new Tunnel(No.4B) is the highlight of the project. This is the fourth railway tunnel in the Palakkad Division jurisdiction. (Other than the existing tunnel in Kulashekara, the other two tunnels are on the up and down line between Kasargod – Kottikulam.) 

The tunnel has 780 meters in length and 6.18 meters in breadth. The height of the tunnel is 6.8 meters. Conventional drill and blast method has been used for tunneling. The project cost is approximately Rs. 70 Crore.