North Central Railway has started giving old Pre Stressed Concrete (PSC) sleepers new life by reusing them to make boundary walls alongside lines to be made 160 km/h fit.
The zone recently designed fencing wall that repurposes old concrete sleepers. This design has been used to build a 500 metre stretch of such a wall on the Agra-Mathura section. Another patch of 1.5 kilometres is currently being worked on.
Prayagraj division has also used this scheme to construct a wall for about 100 meters at Subedarganj station following the approved design.
PSC sleepers are released from service during the renewal of track and up-gradation from 52 kg track structure to 60 kg track. These released sleepers are not only unserviceable for maintenance of tracks but also occupy the area near running track.
Recycling a sleeper’s metallic portion is uneconomical and non-friendly to the environment. Under the scheme devised by North Central Railway, these released sleepers can be utilized to create a sturdy boundary wall which also addresses other problems related to handling and recycling of released PSC sleepers.
These small patches of boundary walls constructed in Agra and Prayagraj divisions are being evaluated on all parameters including cost, time required for construction etc. before a decision is taken on large scale implementation of this scheme.
Speeds on trunk routes between New Delhi-Howrah and New Delhi- Mumbai served by NCR is to be raised to 160 km/h. Reconstruction of boundary wall is an important part of speed raising work.
A part of the total boundary wall will be constructed under a PPP scheme by solar park agency that will set up solar plants on vacant Railway land along the track. The remaining will be constructed by Indian Railways.
Reviewing Works
While reviewing safety, loading and 160 Kmph speed raising works through video conference on 11.08.20; GM Sri Rajiv Chaudhry stressed that requirement of boundary wall to be constructed by NCR and that proposed for construction through PPP needs to be clearly identified.
Reviewing 160 Kmph speed raising work he added that committee of senior officers from HQ headed by Additional General Manager Sri Ranjan Yadav be formed immediately to assist Prayagraj and Agra divisions on technical and other issues and monitor the daily progress of these important works to complete it within the target of 2023-24.
In the beginning of review meeting safety position over North Central Railway was reviewed. GM Sri Chaudhry emphasized that all efforts of train passing staff in identifying defect in freight and passenger trains should be recognized suitably.
To improve safety in train operations; North Central Railway has also launched safety drives for checking height, distance from running track of various fixed installations along the track to mitigate any chance of hitting of such structure from open doors of wagons etc.
During review of loading performance, GM commended work of BDUs in capturing new traffic stream and directed that all proposals for capturing additional loading including station to station (STS) concessional rates must be cleared on top priority.
Business development Units of North Central Railway HQ and those formed in divisions have been asked to quantify the works done so far and road map for the future to double the loading volume of North Central Railway assisting Indian Railways in achieving loading of 2024 million Tonnes in financial year 2023-24.
it’s been in practice in SCR in many sections protecting properties, trespassing