Technical upgrade; train speed to increase by September

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The technical upgrade to increase the speed of trains in Kerala will be completed by September. The current average speed is 80 km per hour. The decision was taken at a railway division-level meeting to set the targets for the current financial year.

The average speed will be increased by making the capacity of loop lines at stations equal to that of the main line. The speed of loop lines at 31 stations will be increased in the first phase. The current switches that pass trains from the main line to the loop lines will be replaced with thick web switches. Through this, trains will be able to run at a speed of more than 50 km per hour on the loop lines and back to the main line.

Steps will also be taken to use modern technologies in track systems, rolling stock, signalling and traffic systems. The upgrade of infrastructure such as automatic block signalling and upgrading of rails to the 60 kg category has been completed.

Punctuality will be maintained

The maximum permissible speed of trains has already been increased by eliminating small curves in various sections. In the current situation, curves that can be avoided without land acquisition are being considered. Along with increasing the speed of trains, steps will be taken to maintain punctuality.