SWR to go live with AC traction from end-to-end on Bengaluru-Mangaluru sector soon
The South Western Railway is preparing to transition the Bengaluru-Mangaluru rail sector to full electric AC traction. This shift will replace diesel-powered locomotives with electric ones, including specialized configurations for the challenging Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road Ghat section.
Why it matters
This electrification project is a significant step toward reducing the carbon footprint of Indian Railways and improving operational efficiency on a key transit route.
The South Western Railway (SWR) will go live with electric (AC) traction from end-to-end on the Bengaluru/ Mysuru-Hassan-Mangaluru sector where the final leg of Railway Electrification (RE) was completed in December 2025, very soon.
At present, all the seven pairs of coaching (passenger) trains operating on the sector run on diesel traction, some end-to-end and some partially.
“We will go live with AC traction with one train to start with and later extend it to the remaining trains. The overhead electric equipment (OHE) in the sector, including the Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road Ghat section, was found to be stable,” said SWR’s Mysuru Divisional Railway Manager Mudit Mittal.
However, neither the first train nor the exact date of going live with AC traction was finalised, Mr. Mittal added.
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