Hubballi Engineer Honored with Prestigious Railway Award for Critical Goa-Karnataka Line Work
A dedicated engineer from Hubballi has received national recognition for his exceptional work on a challenging railway project. Kesireddy Vamshi Krishna Reddy, aged thirty-one, earned the Ati Vishisht Rail Seva Puraskar for 2025. This prestigious award honors his crucial role in enhancing rail connectivity between Karnataka and Goa.
Revolutionizing Track Work in Tough Terrain
Reddy serves as a divisional engineer with South Western Railway. He led the ambitious project to relay the broad gauge railway line between Castle Rock in Uttara Kannada and Kulem in South Goa. This twenty-five kilometer section cuts through the steep Western Ghats, featuring sixteen tunnels and numerous sharp curves.
The terrain presented immense difficulties. "This ghat section has a lot of gradients, with inclines and declines," Reddy explained. "The track bed is completely hard, so the track gets damaged very quickly."
Innovative Approach with Specialized Machinery
Faced with these challenges, Reddy proposed a novel solution. He suggested deploying track-relaying trains and ballast-cleaning machines. These specialized machines had never been used in this type of difficult terrain before.
"I presented the idea to my superiors when the project started," Reddy stated. "Then I took the huge call to proceed with it. Nobody was ready to take the risk and try deploying machines in such terrain before."
The machines proved highly effective. They perform multiple tasks simultaneously, removing old components, laying new concrete sleepers, and installing fresh rails in one continuous operation. This method causes minimal disruption to regular train services.
Completing the Project Ahead of Schedule
Reddy's team of three hundred workers completed the complex project well before the deadline. They finished the entire relaying work in just three and a half months. This achievement is particularly impressive given the project's constraints.
"Building a new track without traffic is something else," Reddy noted. "In my project, the trains were running. The biggest challenge was executing work in a specific span of time, like three to five hours a day."
The successful upgrade has brought tangible benefits. Trains can now travel through this section at a maximum speed of forty kilometers per hour. This marks a significant increase from the previous limit of twenty-five kilometers per hour, substantially reducing travel time for passengers and goods.
Recognition from Railway Authorities
Reddy was among one hundred railway employees honored this year for their contributions to the sector. He joined the railways in 2019, with previous postings in Ballari and Dharmapuri before taking charge at the South Western Railway headquarters in Hubballi.
Two other South Western Railway employees also received awards. Biswanath Kumar was recognized for his work on steel girder bridges, while K Balasubramani was honored for sales management achievements.
SWR Chief Public Relations Officer Manjunath Kanamadi praised the award winners. "They have all done exceptional work in their field," he said. "Reddy helped restore the entire Castlerock-Kulem Ghat section, one of the toughest sections in Indian Railways. The entire track was relaid and strengthened, ensuring safety with no untoward incidents reported last year."
The project stands as a testament to innovative engineering and determined leadership. It has improved both safety and efficiency on a vital transportation corridor through some of India's most challenging geography.
