Kolkata, June 17 (IANS) Railway travel will get safer with the Eastern Railway (ER) getting the clearance to install Electronic Interlocking (EI) at 32 stations on High Density Network (HDN) and Highly Utilised Network (HUN) routes, officials said on Wednesday.

These will include 25 railway stations that now have Panel Interlocking (PI) or Route Relay Interlocking (RRI).

The remaining seven have Intermediate Block Signalling (IBS).

“The Indian Railways has approved Rs 405 crore for this signal upgradation project. This is part of Indian Railways’ broader strategy to modernise signalling systems on critical routes and improve reliability, safety and operational performance across the network,” officials said.

The older relay-based technology have operational limitations due to ageing infrastructure.

Issues such as non-segregation of clean and dirty wiring, outdated power supply arrangements, improper earthing systems and ageing signalling equipment have led to higher maintenance requirements and increased failure risks, officials said in a statement.

These legacy systems with state-of-the-art EI technology, which offers significantly higher reliability, enhanced safety and faster fault detection capabilities.

EI systems use advanced digital technology to control train movements and signalling operations with greater precision and reliability.

Compared to conventional RRI systems, EI reduces the probability of signalling failures, improves system availability and facilitates quicker restoration in case of faults. This will support smoother train operations on some of the busiest railway corridors in the country while enhancing safety standards for both passenger and freight services, it added.

The Indian Railways is making an all-out effort to create a modern signalling ecosystem, capable of supporting advanced technologies such as Kavach, Automatic Block Signalling and Centralised Traffic Control on high-density routes.

Some of ER’s routes operate at more than 100 per cent capacity, including stretches of the Howrah-New Delhi corridor.

“Upgradation of signals is of utmost importance, with the introduction of modern trains like the Vande Bharat Express. There are plans to run a Vande Bharat sleeper train between Howrah and New Delhi. Upgraded signals would aid in safer, smoother and faster travel for passengers,” officials noted.

–IANS

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