Vijayawada Rail Division Enhances Passenger Safety with 71.03 Km New Track Sleepers

Vijayawada: Giving priority to passenger safety, Vijayawada Railway Division has strengthened its track infrastructure by laying new sleepers underneath the rail tracks over a distance of 71.03 kilometres during this financial year.

Divisional railway manager (DRM) Narendra A. Patel said they achieved this rare feat using the newly commissioned TRT (Track Relaying Train) and PQRS (Plasser Quick Relaying System) track machines.

Of the total 71.03 km, 35.591 km of sleepers were laid utilising the TRT machine. Rest of the sleepers were installed using the two PQRS machines. Narendra Patil underlined that new sleepers help ensure safety of train operations and prevent track undulations.

The DRM explained that TRT machine does not require any auxiliary track like PQRS. No depot activity work is required for panel fabrication. Sleepers can be directly fed into its gantry and laid on platform and mid-section lines without power block.

The TRT machine, commissioned at a cost of ₹55 crore, is being used to replace aged wooden and concrete sleepers with new ones on the main and branch line sections of Vijayawada division, including the Bhimavaram-Nidadavole branch line.

Narendra Patel commended S. Varun Babu, Sr. DEN, for skilfully using rolling corridor blocks and fortifying track parameters, thereby ensuring operational safety.