Indian Railways Electric Traction System Upgrade: on Monday sanctioned the upgradation of the electric traction system on two key rail routes in Telangana and Karnataka. The project is part of the national transporter’s efforts to enhance network capacity and build a .
The upgrade is expected to benefit both passengers and industries by improving rail infrastructure, operational efficiency and the ability to handle higher traffic volumes, it said.
In Telangana, the electric traction system will be upgraded on the Mahbubnagar-Secunderabad-Medchal section of the South Central Railway. It is part of one of the country’s important High-Density Network (HDN) routes and falls on the Dharmavaram-Dhone-Mahbubnagar-Secunderabad-Medchal-Mudkhed-Indore-Ajmer rail corridor.
According to Railways, the existing 1×25 kV electric traction system will be upgraded to a modern 2×25 kV electric traction system. “The work will be undertaken over this approximately 141 route kilometre rail section at a cost of Rs 285.01 crore.
The introduction of the 2×25 kV system will provide a more stable and efficient power supply for train operations, making rail services smoother, safer and more reliable.” it said.
In Karnataka, the electric traction system will be upgraded on the -Tumkur section. The stretch is one of busiest railway corridors in the South Western Railway. The section forms part of the strategically important Highly Utilized Network (HUN) Route-10, which connects major economic and industrial centres along the -Hubballi-Chikjajur-Birur-Tumkur-Bengaluru-Salem-Kanniyakumari corridor.
According to Railways, the upgradation project involves the conversion of the existing 1×25 kV electric traction system to a 2×25 kV electric traction system over a stretch of 120 Track Kilometres (TKM) at a cost of Rs 162.57 crore.
“The upgraded system is expected to support the operation of heavier freight trains and longer passenger services while improving overall reliability of electric traction infrastructure.
The project will contribute to decongesting a key rail route serving the Bengaluru metropolitan region and adjoining districts, while also supporting smoother movement of passenger and freight traffic across Karnataka and southern India,” the Ministry of Railways said.
