Indian Railways aiming to infuse Rs 70,000 crore for safety plan

The Indian Railways is working on a Rs 70,000 crore safety plan for speedy installation of anti-collision devices, including upgrading of signal and telecommunication and mechanized maintenance of tracks. Recent numbers of major train accidents have raised concerns over safety issues in Indian railways.

By this safety plan, Indian Railways plans to visualize induction of crash-worthy LHB coaches and locomotive as a long term measure and entails faster installation of train protection warning system (TPWS) and elimination of unmanned level crossing to do away with mishaps on tracks. The last few years have seen minimal investment in the safety infrastructure due to poor financial health of the Railways.

'The safety plan will be submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking a generous grant from the general exchequer outside the Rail Budget' a senior railway ministry official said.

According to the safety plan, all electronic locomotives are to be equipped with Vigilance Control Device (VCD) to prevent accidents in case the driver is incapacitated in the run. As of now only 749 locomotives out of 4,417 electric ones have been equipped with VCD.

There is growing concern about the maintenance of Railways' vast tracks and the slow pace of installation of anti-collision devices and train protection warning systems. Since upgrading of safety measures is a continuous process steps need to be taken to enhance the rail safety.

The entire safety structure of the Railways depends on the human element; the safety plan has emphasized the need to upgrade human resources to meet the challenges. The railways need funds to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore for upgrading training institutions. Currently, the railways has vacancies for 1,26,044 posts in the safety category and 14,896 for unmanned level crossings across the country.