Rajpura rail track electrification by Jan-end

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 31

The Rajpura-Bathinda rail track electrification project is expected to be completed by January-end. Now, the work is being carried out at the Bathinda junction.

The cost of the electrification project is around Rs 200 crore. After completion, the cost of running trains will come down. At present, trains on this line are being run by diesel locomotives. A train engine consumes around 15 to 20 litres of diesel per kilometer and for starting the engine, it consumes around 25 litres of diesel.

Deputy Station Superintendent Thakur Dutt Yadav said the electrification work on the Rajpura-Bathinda railway track was being carried out at the Bathinda railway junction. It is expected to be completed by January end, he said.

In the first phase, the work of double laining of the 172-km Rajpura-Bathinda rail track is also near completion.

In another development, the speed of the trains will be increased from 130 km/hr to 160 km/hr. The rail lines on the route are being strengthened as per the new requirement and specifications.

Both these projects will prove to be a boost for the Railways in the Malwa region. A large number of important cities and industrial towns, including Patiala and Bathinda, fertilizer and thermal power plants, food grain loading points, educational hubs and military cantonments are located in the section.