South Western Railway (SWR) General Manager P. Ananth after hoisting the tricolour at the SWR zonal headquarters in Hubballi on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
South Western Railway (SWR) maintained a record of zero consequential train accidents during January-July 2026 while commissioning 83 km of new track and improving train services and passenger amenities, General Manager P. Ananth said on Saturday.
Speaking after hoisting the tricolour at the SWR headquarters in Hubballi on Saturday, Mr. Ananth said that safety remained the highest priority.
The SWR had commissioned the ‘Standard Kavach’ automatic train protection system over 98 route km on the Tumakuru-Arsikere section and 122 route km on the Whitefield-Jolarpettai section. The zone also undertook complete track renewal over 157 km and constructed 132 km of safety fencing during the period, he said.
On infrastructure development, Mr. Ananth said 41 km of new lines and 42 km of doubling works had been commissioned. Yard remodelling at KSR Bengaluru, Whitefield, and Channasandra had helped improve operational efficiency.
The Railway Board had also sanctioned the 65-km Hospete-Ballari quadrupling project at an estimated cost of ₹2,372 crore. Under Mission 25 Tonne, 198 km of track on the Torangallu-Ballari and Vyasa Colony-Sasalu sections had been upgraded to handle higher axle loads.
Speed enhancement works enabled trains to operate at up to 130 kmph over 293 track km on the Yelahanka-Dharmavaram section, while speeds were raised from 90 kmph to 110 kmph over another 344 track km. These measures contributed to an 88.16% punctuality rate for Mail/Express trains up to July, placing SWR fifth among railway zones nationally, Mr. Ananth said.
The zone introduced 22 trains, extended four and regularised 42 services, while 125 trains were sped up, resulting in cumulative time savings of 3,335 minutes. To meet additional demand, 234 special trains, involving 4,174 trips, were operated. Fifteen trains comprising 19 ICF rakes were converted to Linke Hofmann Busch coaches to improve passenger comfort and safety, he said.
Record freight loading
The SWR achieved its highest-ever originating freight loading of 31.3 million tonnes during the period, registering a 5.8% increase over the corresponding period of the previous year. Gross revenue stood at ₹5,531 crore. Enhanced ticket-checking efforts resulted in 4.7 lakh cases being detected and ₹43 crore being recovered, he said.
Passenger amenities were also expanded with 73 lifts and 64 escalators commissioned. Nine stations were completed under the Amrit Bharat Station scheme, along with 14 road overbridges, 23 road underbridges, seven foot overbridges, two subways, eight high-level platforms, and 57 automatic ticket vending machines.
Focus on green railway
The SWR commissioned an additional 789 kWp of solar capacity, taking its total installed capacity to 8.4 MWp. The installations generated savings of about ₹2.6 crore up to May 2026. With 154 trains equipped with Head-on Generation systems, the zone saved 12,650 kilolitres of high-speed diesel valued at about ₹94.3 crore from January to June. As many as 191 of the 212 train pairs had been converted to electric traction, he said.
Mr. Ananth appreciated the contribution of SWR employees in safety, operations, sports and asset management and called for continued teamwork to improve safety, punctuality, passenger satisfaction, and operational efficiency. Hubballi Divisional Railway Manager Bela Meena, principal heads of departments, senior officials and employees were present.
Published – August 15, 2026 06:55 pm IST
