Digital railway signaling remains dysfunctional

Despite the passage of 15 years, the dated lever and cable system for redirecting trains could not be upgraded


KHALID RASHEED January 17, 2025

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LAHORE:

In 2009, the government had decided to replace the British-era lever and cable system, also known as kanta with a digital electricity-run alternative in order to prevent daily accidents and ensure the timely arrival of trains. However, even after the passage of over 15 years and a budget increase of nearly Rs7 billion, the project, which has become a white elephant for the railways, has still not reached completion.

It is worthy of mentioning that there is a manual signaling system from Lodhran to Rohri and Sukkur and from Shahdara to Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and Peshawar. Under the manual system, the movement of vehicles is controlled by pulling a lever by hand while railway traffic is managed by green and red lights and coloured flags.

Sources from Pakistan Railways revealed that the digital signaling system was supposed to be installed in 2013, but due to non-availability of funds, the project could not be completed. Under the project, 31 railway stations were to be linked from Lodhran to Shahdara however, due to poor strategy, untrained officers, lack of staff and electricity issues the project has faced delays.

Tariq Rasheed, a passenger travelling from Lahore to Multan, disclosed that a few days ago electricity on the main line was disconnected at the Chichawatni station due to the non-payment of electricity dues. "As a result, the digital signalling system stopped working and we had to wait for hours," lamented Rasheed.

Similarly, Shahid Nazir, another passenger traveling from Lahore to Okara, revealed that the digital signaling system was not working due to the non-payment of electricity bills at the Okara railway station. "As the trains were delayed, the passengers had to suffer a lot," said Nazir, who believed that train operation should be restored for the convenience of passengers.

According to the former Chief Electrical Engineer of Pakistan Railways, the modern computerized signaling system of Pakistan Railways has now become a bone stuck in the throat of the railways. "Dozens of trains are getting delayed for several hours due to daily breakdowns, while trains have to use more petroleum products due to the inefficient crossing. The new system has only been installed at 60 per cent of stations at the main railway line of Pakistan Railways. Since this digital signaling system operates on high power electricity, how can it be expected to operate when there is no power at the station," exclaimed the former chief, who further revealed that in the past year, electricity connections of more than 10 railway stations had been cut, which were restored later.

Similarly, officials from the Railway Workers' Union confirmed that due to various obstacles, the project could be completed only up to Chichawatani. "Valuable equipment is lying across various railway stations and godowns, leading to theft complaints," said the officials. On the other hand, officials from Pakistan Railways maintained that the electricity bills had been paid and the digital signaling system had been restored.

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