Indian Railways to modernise its entire signalling system for safer train travel

Indian Railways’ signalling system might soon undergo a complete modernisation with the introduction of complete automation, as the national railway body expects to get an approval in the upcoming budget to spend an amount of INR 78,000 crore on this project, along with other safety measures.

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To ensure that all the budgetary needs required for upgrading the infrastructure and safety measures are met, the Indian Railways will reportedly generate funds from its internal sources and also from the market. Besides, the railway body is expected to get INR 65,000 crore as Gross Budgetary Support (GBS) this time, which is INR 10,000 crore more than the last time.

A senior official from the Ministry of Railways said, "The modernised automation of the signalling system aims to enhance safety and speed up train movement in a congested network."

In an end-to-end detailed plan which is aimed at changing the Indian Railways’ safety measures and systems in the next five years, some of the major changes that are about to take place include the replacement of the existing signalling network with a modernised one, proliferation of electronic interlocking systems, introduction of the European Train Control System Level-2 and mobile train radio communication systems.

Apart from the above mentioned changes that the Indian Railways is scheduled to undergo, there are also plans of laying down new railway lines, gauge conversion and doublings, besides massive electrification, all of which are expected to be a part of the forthcoming union budget.