Indian Railways has approved a Rs 432 crore project to upgrade signalling infrastructure across 27 stations and cabins in the Asansol Division of Eastern Railway, replacing older relay-based interlocking systems with electronic interlocking technology.
What is included in the Rs 432 crore Railway project?
The sanctioned work covers 28 relay-based interlocking installations, 27 panel interlocking/route relay interlocking units and one integrated block signalling location, all falling on high-density network and highly utilised network routes within the division.
These corridors rank among the most heavily trafficked sections on the Eastern Railway system, carrying a substantial share of both passenger and freight movement.
Why is Indian Railways replacing relay-based interlocking?
Relay-based interlocking, the technology being phased out, relies on electromechanical relays to control train movements and prevent conflicting routes from being set simultaneously, the Ministry said.
While dependable, such systems are ageing across large parts of the Indian Railways network and require more manual intervention for fault detection and maintenance. Electronic Interlocking, by contrast, uses computer-based logic to perform the same safety functions, offering quicker fault diagnosis, simpler upgrades and greater flexibility in managing complex station layouts, as per the Ministry.
How does this fit into Indian Railways’ modernisation plan?
The Asansol project is a part of the Indian Railways’ wider programme to roll out Electronic Interlocking across HDN and HUN routes nationwide. Railway officials have positioned these technologies as complementary, with the shift to Electronic Interlocking seen as a foundational step that supports the deployment of these more advanced systems.
Expected benefits of the Asansol signalling upgrade
Officials say the upgrade is expected to improve the reliability of train operations while also supporting higher line capacity on a stretch of track that already operates under significant traffic pressure. The move is being framed within Indian Railways’ broader safety agenda, which has placed renewed emphasis on signalling modernisation following a series of incidents in recent years that drew scrutiny of the network’s ageing infrastructure.
The Asansol Division, one of the key operating divisions under Eastern Railway, handles substantial coal and mineral freight traffic in addition to passenger services.