32 level-crossing gates in Tiruchi Division identified for installing electrically operated lifting barriers
Sanction has been accorded for installation of EOLBs at 32 level-crossing gates in Tiruchi Railway Division's limits during the 2025-26 financial year. A majority of these gates are situated along the Villupuram-Katpadi broad gauge section, said railway sources.
The Tiruchi Division has floated a tender for EOLB and emergency sliding boom at interlocked gates in the Villupuram-Katpadi section and at interlocked gates along the Villupuram-Tiruchi chord line section via Vriddhachalam and Ariyalur.
The work of installing EOLBs at level crossing gates commenced in the last financial year in Tiruchi Division which has under its jurisdiction the Villupuram-Tiruchi chord line section; Villupuram-Thanjavur via Mayiladuthurai and Kumbakonam main line section, Villupuram-Katpadi section and other branch lines.
The sources said 45 level-crossing gates in the division had been provided with EOLBs up to May 31. The major sections where EOLBs have been installed were the mainline section where this provision had been made in 14 gates besides in eight gates along the Thanjavur - Karaikal section and six gates in the Tiruvarur-Mayiladuthurai branch line, the sources further said.
The railway administration had taken up installation of EOLBs in a sustained manner to enable swift operation of level-crossing gates and with a view to enhance efficiency of train operations. Unlike mechanical gates, electrically operated lifting barriers eliminate the need for physical effort on the part of the gatekeepers to open or close them. They function using relay technology with push-button operation.
In a mechanically operated systems, the gates are opened and closed by rotating winches with wire ropes enabling the lifting and lowering of the barriers. This process takes the gatekeepers two to three minutes to complete following specific safety protocols. However, with respect to gates where EOLBs have been installed, a control panel with knobs and push buttons along with LED indications are provided. These barriers can be operated individually or simultaneously with the time required for opening or closing lasting only a few seconds. A lock pawl is provided to secure the boom in a horizontal position when fully lowered. Safety protocols at these gates are completed without manual intervention.
The EOLBs would reduce the operational time of the lifting barriers thereby reducing the waiting time for the road users at the gates.
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