Eastern Railway has completed the installation of additional multi-section digital axle counters at Barrackpore station to keep signalling functional when heavy rain leaves railway tracks waterlogged, a disruption that has repeatedly affected services on the Sealdah–Barrackpore section.
The new equipment has been installed alongside the tracks near platforms 1, 1A, 2 and 4, as well as on the down suburban line. According to the report, the system is designed to provide reliable train detection even when rainwater accumulates on the tracks.
The existing track-circuit system checks the continuous flow of a small electrical current through a section of track to determine whether a train is present. During intense rain, however, waterlogging can affect the circuit because water is a weak conductor of electricity. This can result in what railway authorities describe as phantom signals, making it difficult for the signalling system to establish the actual status of a track section.
The multi-section digital axle counter, or MS DAC, uses a different method to identify train movement. It measures the number of wheels entering a defined section of track and verifies whether all of them have subsequently left that section. This allows the system to determine more reliably whether a train is occupying the track, even during adverse weather conditions.
The work was completed recently on the instructions of Sealdah Division Railway Manager Rajib Saxena. Railway authorities said the installation would make it easier to maintain train punctuality during poor weather by reducing the possibility of signalling failures caused by waterlogging.
The improvement is expected to benefit suburban services as well as long-distance express trains that pass through Barrackpore station. The station is part of a busy railway corridor where interruptions can affect both daily commuters and trains operating beyond the suburban network.
Eastern Railway chief public relations officer Shibram Majhi described the installation as an important step towards improving signalling infrastructure. “The system is an important step in upgrading signalling infrastructure. Railways are always active in improving passenger services,” he said, according to the report.
The Sealdah Division is also undertaking other infrastructure-related measures, including the replacement and repair of girders on railway bridges, efforts to reduce the number of level-crossing gates, yard improvements and further signalling upgrades. Railway sources said these measures are intended to save operational time and could eventually create scope for running additional trains.
