GUWAHATI, April 13 - The Engineering Department of Maligaon-headquartered Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) was able to successfully raise the maximum permissible speed of trains in 14 sections across the zone during the 2018-19 fiscal.
The sections in which the permissible speeds have been increased cover a total length of 736 km, said Pranav Jyoti Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of NFR.
The maximum permissible speed was raised in the Katihar-Kumdepur section and the Katihar-Radhikapur section to 110 km per hour from the earlier limit of 100 km per hour, in the Aluabari-Siliguri section to 100 km per hour from 90 km per hour, in Fakiragram section to 75 km per hour from 50 km per hour, in the North Lakhimpur-Sripani section to 100 km per hour from 80 km per hour and in the Sripani-Murkongselek section to 100 km per hour from the earlier limit of 75 km per hour. �The raising of speed has led to saving of time,� Sharma said.
He added that trains are allowed to run over designated sections of railway track with certain permissible speed. �When the permissible speed of a particular track section is raised with suitable inputs to strengthen the track structure, the trains are allowed to run at a higher speed. This results in decreasing the travel time of the trains and the net saving of time required to travel over these sections. The Engineering Department has been able to provide systematic inputs to the track which has made the achievement possible,� Sharma said.
He added, �To this end NFR has been able to carry out a track renewal of 104 Complete Track Renewal (CTR) units which is higher than the target stipulated by the Railway Board. Almost 7.32 km of track has been deep screened by using mechanized screening arrangements while thorough fitting renewal has been done over a length of 402 km. As many as 4,334 bridge sleepers have also been replaced by new sleepers on important bridges all over the zone.�
Sharma said that for greater safety of tracks, the zone has also resorted to flash butt welding of rail joints making a cumulative progress of almost 35,000 joints during the 2018-19 fiscal.
�Flash butt welding is a superior technology of welding which gives jerk-free and safe welding of rails. Besides, in as many as 19 stations the permissible speeds in the platform lines have been raised from 15 km per hour to 30 km per hour,� said the NFR CPRO.
