One of the rarest sights in Indian Railways: an electric locomotive-hauled train running without overhead electric wires! This unusual operation is currently seen on two routes in India, the Ramanathapuram–Rameshwaram section in Tamil Nadu and the Mysuru–Chamarajanagar section in Karnataka. But why is a small portion of these otherwise electrified routes still without overhead wires, while electric locomotives continue to operate on them? The core reason is airports and aviation operations. On the Ramanathapuram–Rameshwaram route, the railway line passes close to a Naval air base, while on the Mysuru–Chamarajanagar route, it runs near Mysuru Airport. During electrification, concerns were raised about overhead equipment in the vicinity of active runways and its potential impact on flight operations. As a result, while most of both routes were electrified, these small sections were left without overhead electric supply. But Indian Railways still wanted to operate electric locomotives on the routes. So, a rather unusual solution is used: trains accelerate to their permissible speed before entering the non-electrified section and then roll through it using their momentum before reaching the electrified section again. It sounds like a hack, but this is an actual operational practice, making it one of the most unusual electric-train operations you can spot in Indian Railways. And yes, there have even been instances on these sections where a train reportedly got stuck after losing momentum in the non-electrified zone! :)