In order to prevent accidents, Indian Railways must install anti-collision devices that will not only save life but also ensure faster freight movement  Anti-collision devices (ACD) conceptualised by Konkan Railway’s former managing director B Rajaram is yet to make complete inroads in the functioning of Indian Railways. After the collision between Vananchal and Uttarbanga Express in Sainthia in West Bengal on July 19, 2010, the need for installation of ACD has been hotly debated within the railway fraternity. According to a survey conducted by ShippingBiz360, a whopping 86% of the respondents feel that Indian Railways should expedite installation of ACD to avoid train accidents. On the other hand, only a meagre 14% of the respondents feel the other way round.High success rate
What is more surprising is the fact that despite the success rate of ACD being almost 100% in preventing collision, the devices are yet to be installed and used fully by the Indian Railways. Although research is underway to make these devices more precise, somehow they are yet to match the needs of the railways.
According to Kuldeep Chaturvedi, general manager of South Western Railways, “The Railway Board and the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) have asked Konkan Railways to further work on the devices and as soon as it is ready, trail runs will be conducted and thereafter the same will be installed.”
Besides saving life, ACD will also play a huge role in preventing delays in freight movement caused due to train accidents, which impedes delivery schedule as well as results in loss of revenues for Indian Railways and logistics operators. In this context, while speaking to a ShippingBiz360 correspondent, Samir Goswami, chief public relations officer at Eastern Railway, says, “Initiatives are underway to install these devices, but there are some legal procedures to be followed before these devices can be finally installed. Once these procedures get over Eastern Railways will immediately install ACD.”
Some details
ACD uses radio frequency and global positioning system (GPS) to detect if the track ahead is safe or not and in case it is not it brings the train to an automatic halt.
Arup Choudhury |
