New Delhi, March 11 (IANS) The Indian Railways renewed 54,600 km of tracks during 2014–2026 to ensure safe train operations, the Parliament was informed on Wednesday.​

Over 80 per cent of the rail network is now capable of sectional speeds of 110 kmph or more — up from 40 per cent in 2014.​

Tracks clocking 130 kmph and above saw a 3.5-fold jump — from 6.3 per cent to 22.4 per cent during the same period.​

“Upgradation and renewal of tracks is a continuous and ongoing process. The track renewal is carried out as per the laid down criteria based on age, traffic carried, condition, etc.,” said Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in a reply to a question in Lok Sabha.​

“Track renewal works are planned and executed duly prioritising the condition of the track and various other factors so as to ensure that the track is safe for the running of trains at permitted speed,” the minister informed.​

The tracks on Indian Railways are regularly inspected by designated officials in accordance with the laid-down schedule. This includes daily patrolling, on-foot inspection, trolley inspection, and footplate/rear window inspection by the concerned officials.​

Further, to objectively assess the health of track geometry, Track Recording Car (TRC) and Oscillation Monitoring System (OMS) runs are conducted at scheduled frequencies.

The entire Indian Railways railway network is covered by TRC and OMS runs. Based on various inspections, necessary actions are being taken in a time-bound manner to ensure the safety of the track, the minister informed.

To strengthen Indian Railways’ infrastructure and technology, the government said this week it has approved several upgradation works worth Rs 765 crore to improve operations, expand line capacity and modernise communication systems across critical sections of the network.​

According to the Railways Ministry, the approved projects include upgradation of electric traction systems on two high-density freight and passenger corridors and expansion of the optical fibre communication backbone across the Vadodara and Mumbai Central divisions of Western Railway.​

–IANS

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