Guwahati, 26 December (HS): The Alipurduar Division of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has set a new benchmark in mechanized track renewal by achieving its highest-ever single-day output of 1,033 track meters using PQRS (Plasser’s Quick Relaying System) on December 23, 2025. NFR CPRO Kapinjal Kishore Sharma informed on Friday that the achievement reflects effective deployment of high-output mechanized track laying technology, optimized traffic blocks and close coordination between the engineering and operating departments.

During the ongoing track renewal programme, Northeast Frontier Railway has undertaken renewal works over a total length of 290.8 km across its jurisdiction. Division-wise progress includes 51.33 km in Katihar Division, 29.77 km in Alipurduar Division, 75.19 km in Rangiya Division, 44.98 km in Lumding Division and 69.96 km in Tinsukia Division, highlighting a systematic and focused approach towards infrastructure upgradation across the zone.

PQRS (Plasser’s Quick Relaying System) comprises compact, self-propelled cranes that significantly reduce maintenance costs. The system is widely used for both new track construction and modernization of existing track infrastructure. With the use of PQRS, rail panels can be replaced in considerably less time, allowing renewal of longer track lengths within shorter traffic blocks.

The system also enables complete retrieval of old rail panels directly from the work site to the base, eliminating the need for additional freight carriage arrangements. The successful execution of these high-output track renewal operations underscores Northeast Frontier Railway’s continued emphasis on modern maintenance practices, asset reliability and operational efficiency.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash