With the railway authorities completing the preliminary track-doubling work along the Chingavanom-Ettumanur route, regulations on train services along the stretch have been lifted.
Railway sources said on Saturday that the pre-commissioning work of the newly laid track, scheduled between March 6 and 22, had been postponed. “An earlier order that scheduled the final stage of pre-commissioning work and the regulation of traffic for facilitating this work stands canceled. It will now be taken up after confirming the date of statutory inspection by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS),” said a railway official.
An authorisation from the CRS will be followed by signaling and related work and the track will be set for commissioning on a date to be decided by the Railway Board. The opening of the new line is expected to ensure a smooth passage of trains along the busy stretch between Kayamkulam and Ernakulam via Kottayam, saving a running time of up to 15 minutes.
