Kolkata, August 31, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
One of India’s busiest railway stations, Sealdah, underwent a major overnight infrastructure upgrade aimed at strengthening safety and improving operational reliability ahead of the Durga Puja rush.
Eastern Railway (ER) carried out the seven-hour engineering exercise within the Sealdah station limits between midnight and 7 a.m. on the intervening night of August 29 and 30, using the traffic block to complete works across engineering, signalling and traction departments without additional disruption to train operations.
The main track work involved upgrading Diamond Switch Point No. 208B/219A from 52-kg to 60-kg rail standards. The work included installation of 34.71 metres of 60-kg rail, seven prefabricated glued joints and replacement of ageing point machines and associated ground fittings.
The Signal and Telecommunication (S&T) wing simultaneously converted point No. 208B from a Siemens to an IRS point machine. It also replaced two old point machines, laid a new JP-to-point-machine tail cable, changed nine glued joints, 20 track and cross jumpers and 44 bond wires before completing testing and commissioning.
The Traction Distribution (TRD) wing used the same power block to clear two to three years of overdue maintenance in Section E/S = X–17 of Dum Dum Yard Lines 5 and 6. The work included annual overhaul of four cantilevers, cleaning of eight insulators and plumbing of two displaced cantilevers. Two unused bird nests were also removed from a portal upright.
The traffic block was cancelled on time at 7 a.m., which officials said reflected close coordination among the departments.
Sealdah handles nearly 1.6 to 1.8 million passengers daily, besides hundreds of suburban services and several important long-distance trains. The upgraded infrastructure is expected to improve yard operations and safety, particularly during the upcoming Durga Puja period when passenger footfall is expected to rise sharply.
Eastern Railway General Manager Gitika Pandey reviewed the progress of the work with senior divisional officials.
ER Chief Public Relations Officer Shibram Majhi described the exercise as an example of coordinated execution that enabled critical yard infrastructure to be upgraded to heavier 60-kg rail standards without unnecessary disruption to train services.
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