hello everyone, hope everyone's doing fine :)
before I yet again disappear for tens of weeks there is small electrification update i wish to make
So, few days back I was doing my usual Mumbai-Alibag-Mumbai weekend journey, when shortly after leaving Goa highway (NH 66) and turning on to NH 166A I spotted a weird grey looking pole obliquely standing in soil. That, as you might have guessed were new electric poles which were being erected. the next time I traveled that route I ws alert and wanted to see if there...
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is any sign of electrification from PNVL end, but there isn't. Poles start appearing only after the line to TVSG (TVSG is the correct station code, not Thal as mentioned here) diverges out, but once they start appearing they are visible till quite some distance, until the track turns away. I believe the electrification has been started from TVSG end and will keep on progressing outward towards Panvel via Pen. This obviously needs cofirmation, and i infact know of a place not much far from the industry the line ends at which will allow me to see unhindered for almost 5-ish Kms close to the end of TVSG, but currently it is difficult for me to reach there.
why is this important?
Because the e-fication from TVSG is actually a part of the TVSG-PEN-PNVL e-fication project. It was mentioned first in the 2015-16 pinkbook, and the beginning and in fact rapid progress of the work currently indicates that the work may be complete by the end of the year. the next phase, involving PEN-ROHA electrification can then start which would allow for, if railways plans to, run some MEMU on the new slots created on the recently doubled line on PNVL-ROHA route.
what exactly is this line?
the lines where poles are currently visible is not a part of mainline, but is a rather long 'private siding' that is connected to three firms:
1)RCF Ltd, where the line ends.
2)PPDP (PNP Dharamtar port), not marked on atlas. I have indicated it in image attached though, on OSM
3)JSWD (JSW Dolvi), marked wrongly on atlas, the line diverges shortly after the private siding diverges from mainline. the poles, when i last saw them, stop short of the place where the diverging happens.
#atlasmonitors take note please and add the corrections, and update the line to electrification in progress from single diesel line
pinkbook for RE 2015-16, showing sanction fo funds for Panvel-Pen-TVSG electrification. the relevant line is on page number 6
click here
Place I have shown in image: click here