Electronic interlocking work begins at rly station

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 19

The process of switching over from obsolete lever frame system to the state-of-the-art electronic interlocking at the railway station started here on Thursday. It would continue till July 31. As many as 90 trains neither originated nor terminated at the railway station.

Except a few in the morning, all trains were diverted, cancelled or originated from Jalandhar, Beas or some other stations.

Nine trains, which are scheduled to depart from the railway station before 8 am and arrival is scheduled after 8 pm, will continue in the next fortnight. Shatabadi, Sachkhand Express, Chandigarh Express and Paschim Express haven’t been suspended.

In the absence of movement of trains, the railway station wore a deserted look. Passengers faced inconvenience. The railway authorities refunded the tickets and the booking amount of passengers. The railway had announced the suspension of trains a few weeks ago but a large number of passengers were not aware about it.

Gurdev Singh, a resident of Verka, said, “I had to board a train for Kolkata, but the railways has suspended the trains. There should be some alternatives for passengers. Now I have to take bus for New Delhi.”

The authorities claimed that the electronic interlocking would become operational from August 1, a day after the completion of the project. The much-awaited transformation has been under progress for the past couple of years.