Western Railway Completes Electronic Interlocking Work at Utran Station in Surat

Surat: Western Railway has completed modern electronic interlocking work at Utran Railway Station, a key step towards developing it as a fully functional satellite station to ease congestion at Surat railway station and meet the city’s growing demand for rail services.

The work was completed on October 19 under the Vadodara division. Divisional Railway Manager Raju Bhadke said Utran was being developed as a major satellite station for Surat, with four full-length platforms planned to accommodate trains and facilitate the operation of special trains during holidays to various parts of the country.

As part of the upgrade, the existing 20-route panel system has been replaced with a modern electronic interlocking system supporting 55 routes. The station’s infrastructure has also been upgraded from four lines to five to improve operational flexibility and facilitate smoother train movements.

The signalling upgrade includes the installation of dual optical fibre cables and a new integrated power supply (IPS) system along the Surat-Utran-Kolad section. Necessary modifications have also been made to the Kavach train protection system.

Two kilometres of new track laid

The yard remodelling work involved laying two kilometres of new track, extending Down Loop Lines 1 and 2 and the Up Loop Line, and installing 14 new points and crossings.

A new building for the electronic interlocking system has also been constructed, along with a 12-bed running room for railway staff.

Once fully developed, Utran is expected to help reduce the operational burden on Surat railway station by providing additional capacity to handle passenger traffic and operate special train services. DeshGujarat