Jaipur : To reduce the increasing train accidents in the country and to overcome human errors, the railway has introduced the Electronic Interlocking System. It is being used across the country. Electronic Interlocking System is being used at 70 stations of Ratlam division. Interlocking plays a very important role in the safe operation of trains. EI is a state-of-the-art system equipped with modern technology which precisely controls the movement of trains and eliminates the possibility of human error.
There are 103 interlocked railway stations in Ratlam division
There are three types of interlockings in operation on Indian Railways- RRI (Route Relay Interlocking), PI (Panel Interlocking) and EI (Electronic Interlocking). At present, EI is in operation on Indian Railways which is equipped with modern facilities. Ratlam division is also replacing electrical signalling installations with new computer based electronic interlocking system. At present, there are 103 interlocked railway stations in the division out of which EI system is operational at 70 stations. In the last two years, modern EI system has been installed in place of RRI/PI at more than 25 stations. Recently, EI work has also been successfully completed at Ratlam station situated in the middle of Mumbai-Delhi main railway route which is one of the busiest railway routes of India. Considering its utility, the remaining stations of the division will also be equipped with Advanced Electronic Interlocking (EI) system in the near future.
How is the electronic inter-locking system different?
EI uses computer-based systems and electronic equipment to control signals, points and level-crossing gates. Unlike conventional route relay interlocking or panel interlocking systems where a lot of wires and relays are used, EI system uses software and electronic components to manage the logic. It reads the inputs received from the signalling gear in the yard and executes the commands received from the operational console (VDU – Visual Display Unit) in a fail-safe manner.
This technology has brought many benefits which have a tremendous impact on safety and has also helped in increasing the speed of trains. It has improved the working of station masters as the entire system is integrated on the computer screen which makes it very easy to operate and reduces the chances of failure of buttons on conventional panels.
