Kochi: Harbour Terminus has to wait longer

Kochi: The commissioning of the over 8-km long Harbour Terminus line, originally scheduled for April 1, will be further delayed by a month due to unavailability of track laying machines. The renovation work of the stations has been completed and the track laying nearly got over. However, failure of the Chennai headquarters to hand over the Points and Crossing Changing Machine (T-28) despite written request over two month back has resulted in the delay. “The machines were scheduled to be delivered by March 10. However, they were diverted for track doubling work in a neighbouring division and we’re told that the same would be handed over to us by March 31. But they were finally deployed in the division only by Saturday (April 8). Now it will take one week time to lay the points and crossings, and another 15 days for signaling works. We’ve revised the target period for train operations to May first week,” a senior railway official said.

The restoration of passenger rail traffic in the section after a gap of nearly two decades is expected to benefit West Kochiites in a major way. Initially, train services will be operated in the Ernakulam South-Harbour Terminus station before extending them to Angamaly. Though it was planned to deploy DEMU (Diesel Electric Multiple Unit) rake in the sector, the Chennai headquarters is yet to allot the same. “We’ll start services using diesel engines and normal rakes. It will be replaced with DEMU rakes as and when they arrive,” the official said.

Only diesel engines can be operated in the route since the Navy has opposed electrification of the corridor, citing proximity of naval airport at Vathuruthy. The trial using a diesel locomotive was successfully held recently. Passenger train service to Harbour Terminus was stopped after a dredger hit the Venduruthy bridge in 2004, weakening it. A new railway bridge was constructed after that and the railway track replaced in the entire line.