Railways move to ensure zero mishaps

The rise in train mishaps has prompted the Ministry of Railways to follow Mumbai’s example and install a train protection and warning system (TPWS) in trains across the country.

However, the TPWS chosen for this exercise is a much advanced European version of train safety and will ensure zero accidents.
The Auxiliary Warning System (AWS), an old version of TPWS, has been operational in Mumbai’s Central and Western Railways for the past 15 years and there have been very few major accidents.

The national rollout plan released this month aims to complete the installation in three phases between 2013 and 2020 and will cover automatic signalling sections and high-density routes.
In phase one, 500km of the section between Mumbai Central-Virar-Vadodara and Ahmedabad have been included. The cost for the installation is estimated to be nearly Rs50 lakh per kilometre.

The decision comes after the railways set up a high-level safety committee comprising experts like former Atomic Energy Commission chairman Anil Kakodkar and DMRC chief E Sreedharan to conduct a safety audit and plug loopholes in the system.

While one of the components of the TPWS will be installed in the cabin of the locomotive or the train, another component is to be fitted along the rail tracks. The TPWS will take care of “human error” that, as per railway records, are responsible for around 60% of all train accidents.

Trials of TPWS have been underway on the 200-km Delhi-Agra route and the 60 km Chennai-Gumudipundi route under a pilot project for which the railways had earmarked Rs 250 crore.

The TPWS, common in trains across the UK, will be an additional safety feature for trains as they automatically activate brakes on a train that is speeding.

Konkan Railway plan
The anti-collision device (ACD) developed by Konkan Railway has taken a backseat after the railways gave preference to the European train protection warning system.

But railway engineers are in favour of the anti-collision device.
TPWS is not only expensive but also less efficient compared to the ACD system, said railway engineers. ACD is a no-signal equipment having superior wide-area safety-enhancing capability, while costing much less, they said.