 "673 personnel to patrol Konkan railway route as precaution during monsoon")
As many as 673 personnel will patrol the Konkan Railway route during monsoon to prevent any casualty on tracks in the region, which receives heavy rainfall, an official said on Tuesday.
There will be round-the-clock intensified patrolling on the route during monsoon, the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) said.
Identified vulnerable locations will be patrolled round the clock, stationary watchmen will be deployed for 24 hours and speed restrictions will be imposed at these locations, a senior official said.
Special attention has been given to cleaning of catch water drains and inspection of cuttings, he said.
Large-scale geo-safety works executed along the railway line in the last few years have significantly reduced the incidents of boulders falling and landslides, thus ensuring safe running of trains, the official said.
No major disruptions to train services have occurred due to falling of boulders during monsoons in the last 10 years, he said.
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In case of heavy rainfall when visibility is limited, instructions have been issued to loco pilots to run trains at a reduced speed of 40 kmph, the official said.
Self-propelled ARMs (accident relief medical van), with provision of an operation theater and emergency medical aid are on standby at Ratnagiri and Verna. The ART (accident relief train) is also kept ready at Verna in Goa, he said.
Loco pilots and guards of trains have been provided with walkie-talkie sets and every station on Konkan Railway is equipped with a 25 Watt VHF base station, the official said.
This enables wireless communication between the train crew and station masters, he said.
Emergency communication (EMC) sockets have been provided at a distance of average 1 km along the Konkan Railway route so that patrolmen, watchmen, loco pilots, guards and other field maintenance staff can contact station masters and control office in case of emergencies, the official said.
Satellite phone communication has been provided in ARM for emergency contact. All main signal aspects on Konkan Railway are now replaced with LEDs to improve signal visibility, he said.
Self-recording rain gauges have been installed at nine stations, including Mangaon, Chiplun, Ratnagiri, Vilwade, Kanakavali, Madgaon, Karwar, Bhatkal and Udupi, which will record the rainfall in the region and alert officials in case of increased rainfall, the official said.
Control rooms at Belapur, Ratnagiri and Madgaon, will work 24/7 during monsoon to ensure safe running of trains, he said, adding that monsoon timetable will be in effect from June 10 to October 31, he said.