 "New system to check train delays on Ghaziabad-Kanpur route soon")
To make the movement of about 200 trains faster on a highly congested route, the railways is inching closer to equip the entire Ghaziabad-Kanpur route with modern signalling and communication system.
A Centralised Traffic Control (CTC) system on the 473-km route between Ghaziabad and Kanpur covering 47 stations is going to be commissioned by April, said a senior railway ministry official.
The route is witnessing heavy congestion causing delays in train movement. The operationalisation of CTC system is expected to reduce delays in train running considerably as all the signalling operation will be done on a click of mouse.
Passing a train through the station involves exchange of technical control between cabins and station master at the station which resulted in considerable delay in giving the signal and passing the train.
Currently, the CTC system is operational in seven stations in the Ghaziabad-Kanpur route on a pilot basis.
The Ghaziabad-Kanpur corridor handles about 200 trains a day and is a major challenge for the Railways to modernise signalling and train control system from the manual lever frame operated signalling system to state-of-art system of electronic interlocking using optical fibre cable communication.
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Operationalised at a cost of Rs 40 crore, CTC is a computer-based system which facilitates the operation of signalling and train control system provided at various stations in the section from a central place. This helps in better planning and management of train movements which reduces delays of trains.
With the commissioning of the entire route, all the train movements can be monitored on real time basis in the CTC system which means all signalling operations will be done by controllers on a click of mouse on the visual display unit.
This has become possible with the advancement of data networking techniques using optical fiber cable, the official said.
During normal functioning of CTC, the station masters at stations have to ensure safe passage of trains by exchanging all right signal with train crew and visual inspection of trains, but in emergency or for carrying out shunting operations, the control can be transferred to local station master from CTC.
It also does automatic train charting, which helps the controller in planning train movements rather than doing the job of data entry operator as being done now.
If any train is not running as per the speed and the time allowed, it will loose time and it will be displayed in different colour, so it immediately draws attention of controller who can speak to train driver for knowing reason and take action accordingly.