Mysuru: Commissioner of Railway Safety (Southern Circle) K A Manoharan after conducting inspection of electrification of track between Mysuru and Bengaluru, has given a green signal for the operation of electric train between Mysuru and Bengaluru. According to reliable sources, the authorities are expected to inaugurate electric train between Bengaluru and Mysuru on December 26 by flagging off Shatabdi Express train at Bengaluru.
Earlier when Shatabdi Express came to Bengaluru from Chennai, it was taking nearly 15 to 30 minutes to get its engine changed from electric locomotive to diesel locomotive before departing to Mysuru but from December 26 it will be a thing of the past. Once electric train is operated, the travel time will come down by 15 minutes and it will also save expenditure for railways apart from being more eco friendly. Every day 24 trains originate from Mysuru. The railways will be saving nearly Rs 10 Lakh per day, Rs 3 crore per month while per year, they will be saving Rs 36 Crore.
Difference between diesel and electric locomotive:
For a trip from Mysuru to Bengaluru, diesel locomotive requires a minimum of 700 litres of fuel which costs nearly Rs 41,000. For every kilometre, a diesel locomotive requires a minimum of 4 to 5 litres of fuel. If the same electric locomotive is put into service it requires approximately 2600 units which costs nearly Rs 17,000 (Rs 6 per unit).
Apart from this, there are more advantages, once the electric locomotive becomes operational. The speed pick is also more in electric locomotive. It takes few minutes to pick in diesel locomotive, while it’s not the same in electric locomotive where the speed can pick up instantly and during any emergency the train can also be stopped at the earliest.
Though the project was sanctioned along with track doubling in 2007-08 railway budget, it gained momentum in 2011 and was completed just few days ago. The initial cost of electrification was Rs 69.5 Crore for 139-km stretch between Bengaluru and Mysuru at the rate of Rs 50 Lakh per km. But the revised cost for the project is estimated at around Rs 210 Crore. The project is taken on cost sharing basis that is 50 percent from central and 50 percent from state government. The project is being handled by the Central Organisation for Railway Electrification (CORE). Mysuru-Bengaluru double line project with electrification was taken up in three phases-Bengaluru-Kengeri (12.22 km), Kengeri-Ramanagaram (32.17 km) and Ramanagaram-Mysuru (93.86 km).
