Rajkot: In a major step toward modernizing preventive maintenance and strengthening safety across the Saurashtra region, Western Railway’s Rajkot Division has successfully conducted a trial of a drone-based live-line Overhead Equipment (OHE) monitoring and surveillance system along the 31km Hapa–Kanalus section.The OHE network, a 25 kV AC traction system vital for supplying electrical power to electric trains, underwent comprehensive visual inspection without requiring power shutdowns or traffic blocks, ensuring zero disruption to scheduled rail services.Outlining the benefits, senior divisional commercial manager Sunil Kumar Meena said the system enables early detection of component defects and technical abnormalities, facilitating prompt maintenance, preventing catastrophic overhead line failures, and improving overall train punctuality and operational reliability.Senior divisional electrical engineer (TRD) Vikram Meena added that the drone features an operational flying range of roughly 10 km alongside a flight endurance of approximately 50 minutes. Equipped with a high-resolution optical camera, the airborne platform detects subtle flaws—including loose electrical contacts, structural alignment deviations, and missing split pins—that often prove difficult to spot during conventional manual foot patrolling.
