NFR strengthens safety measures at level crossing gates across zone

Guwahati: Safety is the cornerstone of train operations, and Level Crossing (LC) gates play a crucial role in ensuring safe and seamless interaction between rail and road traffic. Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) accords the priority towards strengthening safety mechanisms at its LC gates through systematic upgradation of signalling systems, adoption of modern technologies and periodic maintenance practices. These initiatives are aimed at minimizing human interventions, enhancing reliability and ensuring the safety of passengers, road users and railway operations across the zone.

As part of this safety-driven approach, NFR has been progressively upgrading Interlocked Level Crossing gates, which ensure that the movement of trains and road traffic is governed through safe signalling and interlocking arrangements. At present, NFR has 624 nos. interlocked LC gates across the zone, out of which a total of 8 nos. are installed during the current FY-2025-26, reflecting a strong safety footprint in railway operations. In addition, sliding boom arrangements have been provided at 10 LC gates across Katihar, Rangiya and Tinsukia Divisions of the zone. Sliding booms enhance visibility and physical obstruction at LC gates, significantly improving safety for road users during train movements. A total of 582 nos. of sliding booms are incorporated at LC gates in the zone till date.

NFR has also made substantial progress in replacing conventional mechanical lifting barriers with Electric Lifting Barriers (ELBs), which offer higher reliability and quicker response. A total of 500 ELBs have been commissioned across NFR, marking a major milestone in LC gate safety upgradation. Division-wise, ELBs have been provided extensively at all the Divisions, while a new ELB has been commissioned in Rangiya Division, further expanding the coverage of modern, automated safety systems. A total of 14 nos. of ELBs are replaced from MLBs during this FY. These efforts reduce dependence on manual operations and enhance safety at busy and sensitive LC locations.

To further reinforce safety, System Integrity Testing (SIT) has been carried out at 220 LC gates across various divisions to ensure the robustness and fail-safe performance of signalling and interlocking systems. Additionally, Signalling Cable Meggering has been conducted at 32 LC gates, enabling early detection of electrical faults and ensuring the healthy functioning of critical signalling infrastructure. Through these comprehensive and sustained measures, NFR reaffirms its unwavering commitment towards safety, continuously working for safer train operations and enhanced protection for the public at LC gates across the region.