Electronic interlocking system delayed for over three months

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 9

The much awaited transformation of the local railway station from using the obsolete lever frame system with state-of-the-art electronic interlocking system has been delayed by over three months. The new system was supposed to be operational within this month. However, the staff has demanded incorporation of more signals, which will take couple of more months to complete.

Officiating Station Director Amrit Singh said, “The decision was taken for future expansion and growth of the station. Movement of some trains would be held back for the duration.” Trains, including Verka railway station on Amritsar-Jammu railway line and Manawala railway station on busy Amritsar-Delhi railway line, are diverted to conclude their journey at small railway stations, situated on the outskirts of the city.

With the adoption of new system railway officials need not to manually pull lever and other equipment to allow passage to an approaching train. For this work, 1200 kilometre long cables have been laid at the yard, which is situated a few meters away from the station. Besides, a building has also been constructed there.

The estimated cost of the project is about Rs 50 crore. Interlocking is performed manually at two places that are situated at the east and west sides of the railway station.

The manual system requires several officials being engaged in checking maps, observing the number of trains parked in the station, noting down their departure and then giving a green signal to an approaching train. Though the entire function is performed in a few minutes but the entire detail needs to be kept in mind so that no two trains are on the same track. There is always a chance of human error in this case, he observed.

Interlocking is an arrangement of signal points and other appliances connected by mechanical and electrical locking so that their operations take place in a proper way to ensure safety.

Once the entire process is digitalised then the same function can be performed with just two buttons and with minimum error.