Sakleshpur-Subramanya section inspected

Mangaluru: As the monsoon season approaches, the Mysuru division of the South Western Railway (SWR) under the leadership of Shilpi Agarwal, divisional railway manager (DRM), conducted a comprehensive safety inspection recently, to assess the division’s preparedness for the upcoming monsoon.The inspection, which included senior officers from various departments such as engineering, operations, safety, signal and telecommunications, railway electrification, and electrical, focused on evaluating the vulnerability of the Sakleshpur to Subrahmanya Road section, a critical stretch encompassing 56km and comprising 57 tunnels and 234 minor and major bridges. The ghat section witnessed significant challenges during intense rainfall in 2018, experiencing over 98 instances of landslides. Consequently, the section was closed for more than 45 days for restoration of train services, necessitating proactive measures to prevent further damage and ensure uninterrupted railway services. In response to these challenges, the Mysuru division undertook a series of special works during the 2023-24 period to strengthen infrastructure and enhance safety measures in the Sakleshpur to Subrahmanya Ghat section. The imported dynamic rock fall barriers were strategically installed at five critical locations along the ghat section to mitigate the risk of rocks falling. The vulnerable cuttings were reinforced at five locations through rock bolting and boulder netting works, to prevent boulder-related incidents. Critical bridges No. 138, 150, 159 and 228 underwent extensive rehabilitation, including the provision of vent way extensions, re-banking, sub-bank provision, and improvements to collection chambers, among others.The critical bridge (major bridge 212) was rehabilitated with measures such as foundation jacketing and provision of RCC side drains and gabion walls. Several major bridges such as Bridge no.142 (Saleshpur-Donigal section), Bridge No. 190(Donigal-Kadagaravalli section), Bridge Nos. 208,211, 217 (Kadagaravalli -Yedakumeri section)and Bridge no.s 237,243, 247,250,251,252, 258, 274,292,293,298,300, 327 and 358 (Yedakumeri -Subrahmanya Road section) were strengthened through RCC jacketing to enhance their structural integrity. All side drains and vent way of major and minor bridges were cleaned and desilted to ensure smooth water flow. Additionally, 43 damaged minor bridges were repairedMeanwhile, the weak trees posing a risk of falling on to the track were identified and removed, while critical and weak cuttings were stabilised by removing excess overburden. Gabion walls were utilized for slope protection, and old RR masonry walls were reinforced to prevent erosion. Restrooms in the ghat section were upgraded, and portable cabins were installed at vulnerable locations such as multiple watchman locations in the entire ghat section various drainage systems, including catch water drains, garland drains, and new drains, were constructed to manage water flow effectively and nearly 4,800m of new drains have been constructed in the Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya ghat section.Shilpi Agarwal also interacted with the staff working in the ghat section, and mobilised them to ensure all safety precautions are implemented, and to inform her of any untoward incident noticed by them to the concerned official.
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