MANGALURU: The introduction of additional passenger services and freight trains on the 55-km ghat section between Sakaleshpur and Subramanya Road for achieving higher productivity was rendered difficult in view of the restrictions imposed by the Commissioner of Railway Safety.
The non-availability of catch sidings - a mandatory safety protocol - at two of the four stations in the section with a Ruling Gradient of 1 in 50 with 4 stations was the primary bottleneck.
With a view to overcoming the critical infrastructural deficiency hampering train operations at an optimal level, SWR Mysuru Division undertook modification and the upgrading of the signalling system in June this year through the creative use of technology by installing highly reliable and failsafe state-of-the-art signal and telecommunication gears at Kadagaravalli and Yedakumari stations.
The Multi-section Digital Axle Counter (MSDAC) is a cutting edge technology designed for train detection with added safety features.
A release from railways said that, executed at a cost of Rs.4.4 crores, borne by the Hassan Mangalore Rail Development Company Limited, the Multi-section Digital Axle Counter (MSDAC) technology was commissioned between Yedakumari and Kadagaravalli stations on the Sakaleshpur-Subramanya Road Ghat Section on Thursday in record time and that it will significantly enhance the sectional line capacity.
The nearly 35 percent enhanced capacity would help in introducing additional passenger services and also the operation of freight trains will be more efficient as detentions are brought down. The new technology greatly reduces the maintenance of track circuits in the inhospitable terrain of the ghat section.
D.Sreenivasulu, Sr.Divisional Signal & Telecommunication Engineer, SWR, Mysuru Division led the team involved in the execution of the technology-intensive project.
Aparna Garg, DRM, SWR, Mysuru Division said she was confident that the introduction of the new safety protocol will pave the way for safer and more efficient train operations in the ghat section where the demand for new passenger services is being made persistently.