The Railways have till date managed to complete track circuiting of about 2,500 stations, which is 1,500 short of the target of implementing the critical safety feature in about 4,000 stations across the country.
Track circuiting reduces dependence on human element and has been identified as one of the key areas which the Railways should focus on by the H R Khanna committee set up after the Ferozabad disaster in mid-nineties in which a speeding Purushottam Express had rammed into Kalindi Express, which had stopped due to a technical fault.
"The Khanna committee had said in its inquiry report that the accident could have been prevented had the tracks been circuited. There is urgent need to complete track circuiting of all stations including turnouts and loops," a senior railway official said.
Track circuiting for routes where speed is more than 75 kmph, installing panel or solid state interlocking to do away with multiple cabins at major stations and better checking of tracks and overhead equipments were the other recommendations of the committee, he said, adding the Railways have taken several steps to minimise the possibility of accidents.
Interlocking of manned level crossing gates and provision of telephones has also been identified as a thrust area. While 285 crossings were provided with a phone and 184 gates were interlocked during the last financial year, the Railways have decided to step up the activity by providing at least 400 telephones and carry out interlocking of 300 crossings each year, he said.
Among other safety measures, air brakes have been introduced on passenger rolling stock to reduce braking distance and new coaches that incorporate anti-telescoping features to prevent collapsing and reduce casualties have been developed.
Candidates for all operating staff including assistant station masters and drivers are made to undergo psychological tests and guidelines have been given to ensure that duty timings for drivers are strictly followed and they are subjected to breath analyser tests to check for alcohol consumption before signing on duty, the official said.
An anti-collision device developed by Konkan Railway Corporation is being tested on North East Frontier Railway as a pilot project, and if found fit, would be incorporated throughout the entire rail network, he said. A pilot project of radio-based automatic warning system has been sanctioned for Delhi-Mathura section, the official said.
Moreover, walkie-talkie sets have been provided to drivers and guards of all trains for faster and better means of communication and last vehicle check by axle counters has been introduced on over 150 block sections and is being progressively increased, the official added.
