Finally :) ..... Finallyyyyyy :) ...... The work has started :)
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After joining IRI, the first ever new station I visited was on the Tumakuru - Rayadurga new line last Dec /blog/post/2094512. A year since then, I have been waiting to see the work start from TK side too.
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SWR website gave the info that work is on from this side too. So I set out to find out what work has started.
Seeing the IRI atlas I was unable to tell where exactly the line deviated after TK.
So I set out to Heggere station. There I got down and started asking people whether any rail line is being built here. All of them asked me to turn around and look at the doubling work going on :) (Pic 7). No No... Not that... A line to Koratagere, Madhugiri.... I asked. But no one knew......
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So I walked off to the highway and started walking back to Tumakuru city hoping to glimpse some work. On the train, after TK I did look out after TK on the right, but no work could be found.
Now after walking a Km or so... I gave up and stood by the side to wait for an auto to go back to the city. I got one and was going back when I saw some pillar construction work being done. I asked the auto to stop and got off. And then I saw one side the pillar work was done and the other side some workers were busy. And then when I asked, I got the answer I waiting for so long.
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* Yes, this was a RUB for the new line. The RUB across Tumakuru-Honnavara NH.
* Another major RUB across the 6 lane Tumakuru-Hubballi NH was also going on.
* Further some 10 more minor bridges are under construction.
* And the work of land levelling was also going on some 10 Kms from here at the first station from this side - Oorukere.
* Here after this RUB work, the land levelling will begin.
* There will be the bifurcation - one worker pointed. And sure enough I could see the track - Pic 1 and 4.
* Around 23 Kms of work, few Kms short of the first town - Koratagere is being taken up now.
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This RUB I guess will be common to both the new lines. The other being Tumakuru - Davanagere. After this RUB, bifurcation will happen, I guess, so that one RUB is enough for both the lines to cross this NH.
Well that is still far off .... No funds yet, no foundation stone laid yet ........
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Then I got back to the city by another auto. Standing at the bus stand I enquired how to reach Oorukere. I was directed to an auto stand, from where share-auto plied. I went there but was told that no work can be seen while going, I had to walk another 1-2 Kms from the place to where the railway work was going on. I was tired and decided against going and thought - let some work finish, then I will go and see. For now, I was a happy man and returned :)
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In the past few months whenever I travelled to Kalyanadurga or Ballari, I always tried to click pics of the line's work. After KRYP till Kambadur some 10 Kms of work is being done till KA border. The work is mainly ROBs, RUBs and land levelling. No track laying yet, as no rails, I guess.
Pic 9 is KRYP station. Pic 19 is the exact border, as the corresponding point on the highway has a board welcoming you to Karnataka. Pics are blurred as they were taken from the moving bus.
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The work is finally over - smaller joy :)
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While coming back when I was buying the ticket, I heard that the Pass will come to PF 2. I thought that's odd. Always it comes to 1. Maybe work at PF 1 was still going on. Then I walked to the FOB and started to climb and go to PF 2, when I noticed the board which said I was in PF 1-2. I still didn't get it. Then after I saw all the boards on the FOB and looked below at the PFs, I realised that the small PF adjacent to PF 1 was completed and that was now PF 1. Erstwhile PF 1 was now PF 2. So other numberings too have changed. That small PF looks long enough to hold a DEMU. And all around I saw that the renovation of TK was completed.
Pics 20-32.
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