South Western Railway’s Mysuru division recently conducted a trial run of a passenger train rake hauled by an electric locomotive on the newly-electrified Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road ghat section.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
A team from the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) of the Railway Ministry will conduct trials on the newly-electrified Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road ghat stretch of Hassan-Mangaluru section in June first week, before the stretch is declared fit to operate trains hauled by electric locomotives.Successful completion of the trials, followed by a recommendation by the RDSO to Railway Ministry to permit operation of electric-loco-hauled trains on the section would pave the way for operating the much-expected Vande Bharat Express between Bengaluru and Mangaluru, and other parts of coastal Karnataka.During his visit to Mangaluru on May 23, Minister of State for Railways V. Somanna had announced that the VB Express would be introduced in June.RITES (formerly Rail India Technical and Economic Service) Limited had bagged the contract of executing railway electrification of about 400 km railway line in South Western Railway, including the 300 km Mysuru-Hassan-Mangaluru section, its branch line Hassan-Arsikere (47 km), and Kadur-Chikkamagaluru (45 km), in August 2021 at an estimated cost of ₹461.23crore. SWR’s Mysuru division announced completion of the final stretch of electrification on the Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road ghat section on December 28, 2025. The Railway Ministry revised the estimates to ₹729.28 crore in March 2026.Trial begins on June 1Divisional Railway Manager of SWR’s Mysuru division Mudit Mittal told The Hindu that the RDSO team is expected to commence the trials on June 1, as a precursor to recommending to the Ministry to authorise operation of electric-loco-hauled trains on the section.The team would conduct trials using different kinds of train sets, including passenger and freight, with varied loads. “We have kept ready a few rakes of different categories to be used for conduct of the trials,” the DRM said. The entire process might take about a week after which RDSO would submit its report to the Ministry, Mr. Mittal said.The division had initially conducted trials with an electric loco, and subsequently with an emptry passenger train rake.Ghat section is technically challengingThe 55-km ghat section is one of the most technically challenging sections of Indian Railways, having a steep 1-in-50 gradient (the track rises by one metre for every 50 metres of distance covered). It includes 57 tunnels, 258 bridges, and 108 sharp curves, and is highly prone to landslides, making execution of electrification work exceptionally complex.
