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