What is the role of interlocking signals in route protection?

• A. They regulate train speed along the route.
• B. They allow automatic routing without human input.
• C. They prevent conflicting movements by locking signals and switches in safe positions for the requested route.
• D. They only indicate occupancy of the track.

Answer: (C)

The main idea is route protection through coordination of signals and switches. Interlocking ensures that when a particular route is requested, the system checks that no conflicting movements could occur and then locks the necessary signals to show the correct aspect and locks the associated switches in the required positions for that route. This prevents two trains from being guided into conflicting paths and prevents a signal from being cleared to proceed unless the route is safely set. In other words, it keeps the route locked in the safe position for the train that has been given that path.

Speed regulation isn’t the focus here; interlocking isn’t about automatically routing trains without human input, and occupancy indicators alone don’t describe the protective locking of signals and switches.