Indian Railways approves ₹405 crore signalling modernisation project on Eastern Railway
New Delhi, June 17
In a major push towards modernising railway infrastructure and enhancing operational safety, Indian Railways has approved a ₹405 crore signalling upgradation project on the Eastern Railway network, officials said on Wednesday.
The project will involve the replacement of existing relay-based interlocking systems with Electronic Interlocking (EI) at 32 stations, including 25 Panel Interlocking (PI)/Route Relay Interlocking (RRI) stations and 7 Intermediate Block Signalling (IBS) locations across High Density Network (HDN) and Highly Utilised Network (HUN) routes.
According to officials, many of the existing signalling installations are based on ageing relay technology and are facing operational limitations due to outdated infrastructure. Issues such as non-segregation of clean and dirty wiring, obsolete power supply arrangements, improper earthing systems and ageing equipment have contributed to increased maintenance requirements and higher risk of failures.
The approved project aims to replace these legacy systems with modern Electronic Interlocking technology, which offers higher reliability, improved safety standards and faster fault detection and resolution capabilities.
Electronic Interlocking systems use advanced digital technology to control train movements with greater precision, significantly reducing the probability of signalling failures while improving system availability and operational efficiency, officials said.
The modernised signalling infrastructure is expected to ensure smoother train operations on some of the busiest railway corridors in the country, while strengthening safety standards for both passenger and freight services.
Officials further stated that the initiative is aligned with Indian Railways' broader strategy to upgrade signalling systems and support advanced technologies such as Kavach, Automatic Block Signalling and Centralised Traffic Control on high-density routes.
The project, they said, reflects Indian Railways' continued focus on modernising critical infrastructure and improving the reliability, safety and efficiency of train operations across the network.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Good step forward. Electronic interlocking is standard practice in most developed railways. Better late than never for Indian Railways. The mention of Kavach integration is promising too.
32 stations is good but what about the rest of the network? We have thousands of stations still stuck in the 1980s. Need to scale this up massively. Also hope they train the staff properly - new tech is useless without skilled manpower.
I travel daily on the Sealdah-Barasat route and the number of signal failures is frustrating. This modernisation will be a game changer for commuters like me. Hope they complete it within timeline. 👍
Very happy to see this but let's not forget the basics. Even with electronic interlocking, if tracks and rolling stock are not maintained properly, safety won't improve. Need a holistic approach, not just signalling upgrades.
Electronic interlocking + Kavach = real safety revolution! I've seen these systems work brilliantly in Japan and Europe. If implemented properly, Eastern Railway will become a model for the rest of India. No more manual signalling errors.
₹405 crore is a huge investment. But I hope there's strict monitoring to prevent corruption and delays. We've seen
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.