JAMMU: Jammu: The first direct unlocking system has been installed at Dinanagar railway station in Northern Railway's Jammu division, a step that is expected to improve efficiency and safety in railway operations, a senior official said.

Divisional Railway Manager, Jammu, Vivek Kumar said the system, installed on Saturday, directly controls the railway signalling and point machinery, thereby reducing the risk of human error.

The direct unlocking system ensures that the safe passage of trains is ensured, thereby reducing the risk of accidents, he said, adding that the system also streamlines the movement of trains, and improves the efficiency of train operations.

"We are proud to introduce this system at Dinapur railway station. This is an important step towards modernisation of Railways. This system will not only improve safety and efficiency but will also provide better travel experience to passengers," Kumar said.

He said Indian Railways is planning to implement this system at other stations as well.

"This is an important step towards making Indian Railways modern, safe and efficient," he said.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson of the railways said Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing rapid upgradation of rail tracks and coaches after Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off two Vande Bharat Express trains between Katra and Srinagar, connecting Kashmir with the railway network of the country, on June 6.

"Over and above the new train services, opening of this (Kashmir) line has made a fundamental change in the ability to maintain rail tracks in the valley. The railway link has enabled movement of track maintenance machines to Kashmir," the spokesman said.

He said maintenance is now being done with modern machines, unlike manual maintenance earlier. This is leading to significant improvement in track quality, he added.

To strengthen track maintenance activities in Kashmir, a tamping machine has been deployed since early June, which packs the stone chips under the tracks to ensure proper alignment and stability of the tracks.

It has so far tamped approximately 88 km of track in the valley, he said, adding this has improved the ballast cushion and will make the ride smooth.

In addition, he said two ballast cleaning machines (BCMs) have also been deployed. Ballast is the stone chip collection on tracks.

These machines are working in tandem and have deep-screened around 11.5 km track. Cleaner ballast leads to safer operation, the spokesman said.

Two additional BCMs were sent to the valley in July, 2025 and these machines have undertaken deep screening and have executed approximately 2.5 km of track.

To supplement the tamping and deep-screening work by recoupment of ballast, 17 ballast rakes were sent and unloaded in Kashmir tracks from ballast depots at Kathua, Qazigund, Madhopur and Jind. Consequently, 19,000 cubic meters of ballasting was done, he said.

He said track recording car (TRC) and oscillation monitoring system (OMS) runs were also conducted in June and July, respectively to assess track quality and identify track stretches requiring attention. All these work have significantly improved track quality in Kashmir, he added.

Along with track upgradation, the spokesman said a paradigm shift has happened in the maintenance and upgradation of passenger coaches in Jammu and Kashmir.

Till the opening of Jammu-Srinagar rail link, there was no rail connectivity of Kashmir valley with the rest of the Indian Railway network.

The DEMU/MEMU rakes in Kashmir could not be brought to the workshop for periodic maintenance and upgradation, the spokesman said.

He said periodic overhauling (POH) was being done by transporting bogies from Budgam in central Kashmir to Lucknow on road trailers, adding this was sub-optimal.

For the first time, rakes from the valley have been brought to Lucknow through rail for POH, the spokesman said, adding the condition of all the rakes in Budgam is being improved in a time-bound manner.

He said the upgradation work of passenger coaches in Kashmir will be completed by August-end, and all rakes in service will be renovated and upgraded within this timeframe.

Indian Railways is often called the 'lifeline of the nation'. With the opening of Jammu-Srinagar rail line and the ongoing upgradation work, it will provide a new lifeline to Jammu and Kashmir, the spokesman said.