Southern Railway's Trichy Division Electrifies Level Crossing Barriers.

Southern Railway's Trichy division has successfully electrified the mechanical operations of lifting barriers at 33 high-traffic level crossings to improve safety and facilitate quicker clearance of road traffic after trains pass. The initiative is part of a phased upgrade, with plans to electrify barriers at 36 additional level crossings in the near future. Eventually, all 494 level crossings in the division will be modernized based on traffic volume.

Previously, manually operated barriers required gatekeepers to rotate winches connected to ropes to close or open the barriers, a process that took about one to two minutes. In some cases, impatient road users would damage the gates in their attempt to cross before the barriers were fully lifted, while others would sneak through during the closing process. These practices posed safety risks, including potential fatal accidents and damage to railway property.

To address these issues, the Trichy division has installed Electrically Operated Lifting Barriers (EOLBs) at the 33 busy level crossings, with a cost of ₹16-18 lakh per crossing. The EOLBs use electric motors that can open or close the gates in less than 10 seconds. In Trichy city, EOLBs have been installed at two heavily trafficked level crossings near Devathanam and Trichy town station.

With the new system, gatekeepers can now press a button to operate the barriers instead of manually rotating winches. The system also includes a hooter sound to alert commuters and an emergency sliding boom to close the gates in case of glitches or power failures.

An official from the railway division stated, "EOLB will ensure safer train operations and improve punctuality. Vehicles waiting at the level crossings can clear the gates much faster, as the barriers will be lifted in seconds, compared to the one-minute delay with mechanical barriers."

ET