Southern Railway Achieves 100% ABS on GQ/GD Routes
20 Jun 2025 CW Team
Southern Railway has become the first zone in Indian Railways to achieve 100 per cent Automatic Block Signalling (ABS) implementation on the Golden Quadrilateral/Golden Diagonal (GQ/GD) network. This milestone covers a total stretch of 275 km, including the 134 km Chennai–Renigunta and 141 km Chennai–Arakkonam routes.
As of 15 June 2025, ABS has been successfully commissioned in the Puttur–Pudi section under the Chennai Division, covering 33 km (18.73 km UP line and 14.36 km DN line). The upgrade also includes the installation of a new Electronic Interlocking System at Tadaku station, equipped with RDSO-standard circuits, according to a statement issued by Southern Railway.
With this development, automatic signalling is now fully operational between Chennai and Renigunta, enabling more efficient, safer, and seamless train operations extending up to Tirupati. The first trains to traverse the newly signalled section were Train No. 17652 Kacheguda–Chengalpattu Express in the UP direction from Pudi, and a BCN Goods train in the DN direction from Puttur on 15 June.
This achievement marks a significant leap in the railway zone's digital and operational modernisation, promising improved speed, safety, and traffic handling capacity across a key segment of India’s busiest rail corridors.