Indian Railways has greenlit three projects totaling Rs 1,131 crore. These projects involve laying an optic fibre cable spanning 1,700 route km in the South Eastern Railway zone, doubling the Mansi-Saharsa railway line in Bihar, and implementing an electronic interlocking system in the Asansol division. The optic fibre cable initiative aims to enhance communication networks crucial for safe and efficient railway operations.
The optic fibre project will cover 1,696.2 Route Kilometres (RKm) across four major divisions of South Eastern Railway, bolstering the railway’s communication infrastructure. This upgrade is expected to provide a reliable and high-capacity communication network, enabling faster transmission of operational data and improving coordination among railway units. The improved backbone will enhance the overall reliability and resilience of the railway’s communication systems.
In Bihar, Indian Railways has given the nod for the doubling of the 44.40 km Mansi-Saharsa section of East Central Railway at a cost of Rs 499 crore. This move is set to boost line capacity, enhance operational efficiency, and meet the escalating demand for passenger and freight services on this critical route. Currently, the Mansi-Saharsa section operates as a single-line corridor handling substantial passenger and freight traffic.
Furthermore, a project worth Rs 432 crore has been sanctioned for replacing relay-based interlocking with Electronic Interlocking (EI) at 27 stations/cabins in the High Density Network (HDN) and Highly Utilised Network (HUN) routes of Asansol Division under Eastern Railway. This initiative involves upgrading 28 relay-based interlocking installations to state-of-the-art Electronic Interlocking systems, thereby significantly improving safety, reliability, and operational efficiency of train operations.
