Bengaluru: Carmelaram-Heelalige section gets 2nd rail track

The double railway track at the Heelalige railway station. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT 

After years of construction, the second railway track between Carmelaram and Heelalige was commissioned on Monday, with the SMVT-Nagercoil Express and the Salem Passenger being the first trains to run on it.

This is the first railway double line constructed by the Railway Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Ltd to be operationalised.

As part of statutory inspections by Commissioner of Railway Safety (Southern Circle-Bengaluru) A K Rai, trains were run on the 10.278-km line at speeds of up to 130 kmph.

Satisfied with the quality and safety of the works, the CRS authorised the running of passenger and freight trains on the Carmelaram-Heelalige section at a maximum speed of 90 kmph, Kusuma Hariprasad, Additional Railway Divisional Manager (Administration), Bengaluru, told DH.

The CRS also approved the electrification (Overhead Equipment or OHE) works, she added.

SMVT-Nagercoil Express (17235) and Salem Passengers were the first trains to run on the second line, Hariprasad said.

The 10.278-km Carmelaram-Heelalige section is part of the 48-km Baiyappanahalli-Hosur line, which K-RIDE is doubling at a cost of Rs 498 crore. The Railway Board sanctioned the project in 2018-19 with the ministry of railways and the state government sharing the cost equally.

K-RIDE, a joint venture of the railways and the Karnataka government, started working on the project in June 2020.

In a news release, K-RIDE said that the double line would eliminate/reduce train crossings at the Carmelaram railway station and facilitate the introduction of more train services between Baiyappanahalli and Hosur in the future.

It will also ease road movements at the Carmelaram level crossing where the gate closure will be shorter.

As part of the doubling work, four existing level crossings, 26 waterway bridges and five existing road underbridges were extended, and two existing railway overbridge (RoB) were retained, the press release added.

B’luru Cantt redevelopment

The South Western Railway (SWR) on Monday set up a concrete plant and a camp office at Bengaluru Cantonment as part of the Rs 525-crore redevelopment of Karnataka’s oldest railway station.

Separately, soil testing and ground surveys are underway as part of the yard remodelling.

The station is expected to get two island platforms (four new platforms in all) in the next few months, the release said.

Makeover for Heelalige station

As part of the double railway line, Heelalige in southeastern Bengaluru now has a new station building, a second platform, a shelter on the old platform, a toilet block, a PA system and facilities for people with special needs. A footbridge connecting the two platforms is also being built.

Heelalige now has the MSDAC system (instead of track circuits at other stations), dual VDU and a multiple-aspect colour signalling system with electronic interlocking.

The facilities will help people living in the city’s southern hubs.

Huskur, near HSR Layout, is getting a halt station, while Anekal Road is getting better platforms. Platforms at Carmelaram will also improve.