Palakkad Division undertakes series of infrastructure upgrade to enhance safety and efficiency

Southern Railway’s Palakkad Division upgrades loop lines and LC Gates for enhanced safety and efficiency in rail operations.

Southern Railway’s Palakkad Division is undertaking a series of important infrastructure upgrades, including upgrading loop lines to main line standards, interlocked level crossing gates etc., to enhance safety and overall efficiency.

The works cover various key areas relating to track improvements and modernisation of LC Gate systems, said a release.

Many railway stations have loop lines in addition to main railway tracks to facilitate train crossing, overtaking or stabling (halting) the trains. Generally the loop lines are built to lower standards to main lines as the maximum speed on them is limited to 30 kmph.

The Division is upgrading these passenger train running loop lines to main line standards by replacing the rails, sleepers and other track components, alignment and level corrections. The measures ensure 100% track fittings and proper ballast cushioning so that the loop lines can safely handle trains. Out of 56 identified yards in the Division, 27 yards have already been upgraded and work is progressing on the remaining in a phased manner, said a release.

Several upgrades to modernise LC Gates operation are also undertaken by the division to enhance safe movement of rail and road traffic. All the 129 LC Gates in its jurisdiction are interlocked level crossings, wherein train movements are controlled by a gate signal that allows trains to pass through the LC only when the gate is closed adding a level of safety for trains and road users.

The division is also replacing mechanically operated lifting barriers, wherein gatekeepers use winch mechanism to manually close and open the gates with electrically operated lifting barriers. While the traditional method involved heavy physical effort prone to technical issues, the modern barriers require less physical effort, reduce failure chances and ensure smoother operations at LCs. While 30 electrical barriers are commissioned in 2024-25, 62 more would be taken up during the current year.

As an added safety measure, all LCs are provided with emergency sliding booms as a backup system in case of any failure of the regular lifting barriers. Sliding booms ensures safety and uninterrupted train operations at full speed thereby preventing delays, even during technical issues, the release added.