Subrat Kumar Sarangi
Bhubaneswar (NVI): During lockdown, while passenger train operations were suspended except those of Special Trains and Shramik Specials, emphasis was put on execution of long pending construction and maintenance works which required traffic blocks of long duration.
East Coast Railway (ECoR) judiciously utilized the coronavirus lockdown time to augment and maintain infrastructure. Various safety related works were executed on top priority.
Taking lockdown period as an opportunity, ECoR took up many safety and passenger amenities works, without letting the train services get affected.
During this period, 18 Limited Height Sub-Ways (LHSs) have been completed at various places, including closure of three manned level crossing gates by providing alternate path. Five girders of 36 meters span have also been launched at the Road Over Bridge (ROB) in Bhadrak – Khurda Road Railway Section.
In addition to this, renewal of 167 km rail, 7.5 km sleepers, 356 numbers of glued joints, rebuilding of 49 bridges and repair of 2,557 wagons have been done.
Foot Over Bridge girders were also launched at Charbatia and Gurudijhatia stations in connection with 3rd and 4th line work between Salegaon-Rajathagarh at Kapilas Road in connection with Bhadrak-Nergundi 3rd line work and at Talcher Road station in connection with Sambalpur-Talcher doubling work.
Preparatory jobs related to Non-interlocking in connection with Safety related modernization work in Kottavalasa-Koraput-Kirandul (KK) line have been completed in addition to 657 major Over Head Equipment (OHE) scheduled works and track circuit maintenance work at 298 locations.
Furthermore, 32,500 cubic meters of rock blasting work in KK line has been done in connection with doubling of this line. Completion of these pending works will increase mobility of trains with more safety. These works would have taken a long time to complete during normal period by suspension of rail traffic.
For passenger amenities many important works have been executed during this lockdown period. Foot Over Bridge (FOB) at 6 stations, lifts at 4 stations, divyangjan toilets at 8 stations, platform surface concreting at 8 stations, platform height raising at 8 stations, additional platform sheds at 6 stations have been commissioned along with provision of 534 stainless steel benches at various stations and development of two stations as Adarsh Stations. For the convenience of passengers, waiting Halls at 10 stations have been improved during the period.
-CHK
