MADURAI: Auxiliary sliding booms were introduced in level crossing in Gate number 358 in Madurai-Dindigul section as signal Interlocked auxiliary sliding booms were commissioned at Level Crossing (LC) No 358, Pappakudi Gate , Near Kudal Nagar in Madurai and Dindigul section to ease the functioning of the railway gate during technical snags or when the lifting barriers gets impaired after hit by road vehicles.
A railway press release received here on April 5th 2023 has said that it is for the first time in Madurai Division that sliding booms are being introduced at a Level Crossing Gate. The Division is planning to provide sliding booms in another six busy Level Crossing gates over the Division with in two months period.
ANOTHER SIX LEVEL CROSSINGS:
The Level Crossings identified are, LC No. 259 (Tiruchchirappalli – Dindigul section), LC No.346 ( Dindigul -Madurai Section), Level Crossing No.5 ( Madurai – Mananmadurai Section), LC No. 518 (Manamadurai – Rameswaram Section) LC No. 393 ( Madurai – Virudhunagar Section) and LC No. 487 (Vanchimaniyacchi – Tuticorin section).
TO REGULATE ROAD TRAFFIC:
The Sliding Booms will be handy to the gatekeeper in regulation of road traffic, to deal with trains when there is any failure in the existing lifting barrier system or when any damage happened to the barrier after vehicle hit, the press release informed.
In the absence of auxiliary sliding booms, when damage/ technical snag happened to the lifting barrier at an LC gate, the interlocking system of gate and the signal become dysfunctional and the gatekeeper has to pilot the trains after closing the gate to road traffic. Safety chains will be tied across the road and stop boards will be placed on to stop the road movement across the gate.
While piloting the trains, the train needs to stop in advance of the Level Crossing gate (the signal provided for train movement at the Level Crossing gate will not show the favorable aspect due to technical snag/damage – so train has to stop before the gate ) and pass through the Level Crossing with restricted speed by observing the hand signal displayed by the gatekeeper. This consumes substantial time and might often result in delay of train services. Long queues of road vehicles will be formed at that time at the level crossing gates.
Such situations at Level Crossing gates puts gatekeepers and road users under pressure, and this system will avoid that, the press release received from Madurai Division of Southern Railway here on April 5th 2023 has informed.
Sliding booms help to put an end to such situations at the Level Crossing gates. Being Inter-locked with signals, sliding booms at the gate ensures a favourable signal aspect for the train movements at the closed gates. Thus it helps punctual movement of trains, avoids congestion of Road vehicles at the level crossings and relieves the gatekeeper, road users, train passengers & train crews from stress and delay.
