Tragedy on Tracks

There was a train accident that occurred recently in West Bengal in which a goods train collided with Kanchanjungha Express resulting in the death of 10 persons and about 40 persons injured. Lives are very precious. Each life lost in train accidents will take a severe beating on their families and also the reputation of the Indian Railways. If this trend continues people will be scared to travel in trains. Mudslinging on government officials in power by the opposition parties doesn’t solve any purpose. The elected political leaders, those who are in power and opposition should give proper ideas to prevent train tragedies. The Indian Railways should aim for a zero fatality record with available modern equipment.

Steps to be taken to prevent train accidents:
Conduct safety awareness training drills for the staff concerned every three months. Comprehensive training should be provided to the railway staff on the latest technologies, equipment, systems, safety rules and procedures. Safety drives at regular intervals are to be carried out by officers and supervisors to improve awareness among staff to prevent accidents. Kavach, an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection to avoid train collisions, should be installed to the entire train routes on a war footing. Research should be done to find alternative methods for anti-collision devices like Kavach.
The Government should allocate adequate funds towards railways. A GPS device is being provided to loco pilots in fog-affected areas which enables loco pilots to know the exact distance of the approaching landmarks like signals, level crossing gates etc. Advanced technologies for track maintenance and inspection should be adopted. Carry out mechanization of track maintenance to reduce human errors. Efforts should be made to design the system foolproof to avoid accidents due to signal failure systems at railway stations. Recruit sufficient numbers to reduce the fatigue of employees of railways.
Introduce a performance-linked incentive scheme for railway employees. All the unmanned level crossings should be eliminated. There should be strict enforcement regarding strict accountability and penalties for lapses. More research should be done on methods that automatically stop trains that pass signals at danger or exceed speed limits. Efforts should be made to provide continuous communication between trains and signalling centers. Sensors and cameras should be used prominently to find defects and faults. Implement AI-driven solutions for safety in railway operations.

Nagendra Kumar Vempally, Manager in a Private Organization, is based in Hyderabad.