ECoR to remove its last mechanical signalling system tomorrow

Bhubaneswar: The mechanical signalling system under the East Coast Railway (ECoR) zone will soon become a thing of the past as its last mechanica signal at Tureikela Road Station near Kantabanji in Balangir district of Odisha will be removed on Thursday.

According to an ECoR spokesperson, the last mechanical signal posts called Semaphore Signals of the ECoR at Tureikela Road Station will be replaced by Multiple Aspect Colour Lights or modern signalling system from January 31 onwards.

Tureikela Road Station is situated about 50 KMs away from Titlagarh Station on the important Titlagarh-Raipur Railway Line.

The advantage of colour-light signalling over semaphore signalling is the higher reliability of electrical control over the signals compared to the mechanical means for operating semaphore signals. “Colour-light Signals do not suffer from distance limitations as semaphore signalling does, allowing signal controls to be placed conveniently together even if the signals themselves are far away. In addition, the electrical circuitry naturally allows for monitoring, interlocking, and detection of failure conditions, all of which are achievable but far less reliably with mechanical means in semaphore signalling,” said ECoR’s Chief Signal and Telecom Engineer Abhimanyu Patel.

In colour-light signals, a junction route indicator or directional type route indicator is commonly used to indicate diverging routes. This consists of an additional set of 5 lunar white lamps in a row at an angle, attached to the main signal. The angle of the junction route indicator corresponds in a rough manner to the angle made by the diverging route. When these additional lamps are lit, they indicate that the signal applies to a diverging route. Otherwise, the signal is taken to apply to the main route, he added.

In the last year, the ECoR has removed Semaphore Signals at eight stations. These are Lakhana, Khariar Road, Nuaoada Road, Bhimkhoj, Bagbahara, Komakhan, Harishankar Road and Tureikela Road. All these Stations are situated on Titlagarh-Raipur Rail Line Section.