South Western Railway conducted a safety inspection of the Kudchi-Ugarkhurd double line in the Belagavi district on Tuesday. Commissioner of Railway Safety, Anant Madhukar Chowdhary, oversaw the statutory inspection of the doubling of the railway track between Kudchi and Ugarkhurd, which spans 6.695 km.
The doubling of the Kudchi-Ugarkhurd section is part of the Londa-Miraj doubling project, which was approved in 2015-2016. The project is fully funded by the Ministry of Railways. In March 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the stretch from Londa to Ghataprabha to the nation.
Doubling the railway track not only increases the capacity for more trains but also enhances safety. This allows for more trains to operate and eliminates the need for express and passenger trains to wait for other trains to cross their path.
The newly doubled section between Kudachi and Ugarkhurd includes a major bridge on the Krishna River with 14 spans of 45.7 m open web through girders. Additionally, there is a yard remodeling in Kudchi, which includes a new loop line and a passenger platform measuring 570 m in length. Furthermore, a road overbridge of 60 m bow string girder has been constructed.
A speed trial was conducted between Kudchi and Ugarkhurd, reaching a peak speed of 119 kmph on the Down line and 89 kmph on the Up line. The Commissioner of Railway Safety has authorized trains to run at 90 kmph in this section.
With the doubling of the Kudchi-Ugarkhurd section, South Western Railway has commissioned a total of 25.1 km of track doubling in the 2023-24 fiscal year, according to a statement from Chief Public Relations Officer Aneesh Hegde.