Eastern Railway completes metal fencing along Howrah-Khana chord line section

Kolkata: The Eastern Railway (ER) on Sunday informed that it has achieved a significant milestone in enhancing railway safety with the

completion of metal fencing along the Howrah-Khana Chord line section.

The ER statement read that by covering a stretch of approximately 200 kilometers on both the up and down sides of the four-line track, this project marks a substantial step towards ensuring operational safety and efficiency.

The key features of the metal fencing project include rapid completion since the entire section was fully fenced in just eight months. Secondly, dual installation methods as the project employed a combination of machine-assisted and manual installation techniques to cover all terrains effectively. Thirdly, in areas inaccessible to machines such as marsh land, manual installation methods were deployed to ensure comprehensive coverage.

“This initiative holds particular significance as the Howrah-Khana Chord line section is frequented by several important high-speed trains, including Vande Bharat, Shatabdi and Rajdhani Express services,” the statement read.

The metal fencing serves multiple crucial purposes which are prevention of cattle entry, thereby reducing instances of cattle run-over and minimizing train delays associated with such incidents as well as reducing safety issues.

The fencing has also enhanced safety by prevention of trespassing which will expectedly mitigate the risk of accidents involving trespassers, thus safeguarding human lives. Lastly, it will be a protection against vandalism as the fencing will act as a deterrent against any malicious attempts to tamper with the track, ensuring uninterrupted train operations.

“This metal fencing is a remarkable step towards augmenting safety by the Howrah Division of Eastern Railway when expectation and endeavor is going on over Indian Railways to increase the speed and further improve in punctuality of train running. This initiative underscores Eastern Railway’s proactive approach towards modernising infrastructure and ensuring a safer travel environment for passengers and smoother operations for freight services,” the statement read.