End of the stone age: Railways to upgrade rail tracks at select stations

The current tracks have greyish ballast stones scattered around them to keep the tracks in their place and curb derailments. But these stones require regular monitoring and replacement

One of the common sights at railway stations across India is the stony ballasted track beds that give stability and control to the trains running on them. But they have been around for decades, and the Indian Railways is planning to give them an upgrade – a significant one.

The national transporter has decided to replace these ageing track beds with improved ballastless tracks, also known as stoneless or slab tracks. Initially, these will be placed at important stations and the ones identified for redevelopment, according to a report in The Economic Times.

Ballastless tracks have smooth concrete or asphalt-like surfaces. On the other hand, the current tracks have greyish ballast stones scattered around them to keep the tracks in their place and curb derailments. However, these stones are required to be regularly monitored and replaced.

Officials privy to the development told ET they believe the upgrade will also lead to cleanliness at railway stations. Unlike on the ballasted tracks, the waste or dirt collected on the slab tracks can be easily washed off.

Initially, the Railways plan to upgrade the ballasted tracks at major tourist destinations and important railway stations.

Railways has been continuously working on upgrading its infrastructure. Earlier this year, it introduced the indigenously developed anti-collision system, named Kavach, meaning armour.

Billed by the Railways as the world's cheapest automatic train collision protection system, this technology is SIL4 (Safety Integrity Level - 4) certified, the highest certification level. This means there's a possibility of only one error in 10,000 years.

The system is being gradually added to trains.