New Delhi: Unwilling to take chances after a series of serious train derailments that led to loss of life and injuries to passengers, the Indian Railways is in the process of acquiring derailment detector devices from overseas to prevent similar accidents in the future.
With Indian Railways’ modernisation being one of the topmost priorities of the Union government, the focus is being put on averting mishaps on trains and enhancing the safety of passengers.
The derailment detector devices, common in western countries like the the United States and Britain, are being brought to India for the first time. These will be fitted in three Rajdhani and two Shatabdi trains on a pilot basis.
A senior railway ministry official said the detectors will be installed in other trains in a phased manner.
The derailment detector would note dramatic incr-ease of vibration in a coach, wagon or a locomotive in case of impending derailment and send it to the train operator.
The devices are usually fitted at the end of a coach and it allows the train operator to apply brakes in the event of any unusual high-level vibration.
The official also said the measure was part of a series of initiatives being taken by the railways to make train journey safer.
The official said that fitting such detector in a Rajdhani Express with 20 coaches will cost around Rs 60 lakhs.
As many as 113 coaches will be fitted with the state-of-the-art system in the first phase, the official added.
Passenger coaches or wagons often tumble and overturn in the event of derailment, which causes loss of lives and severe damage to coaches.
The last three months have seen at least three derailments of passenger and goods trains, that have claimed the lives of more than 20 people.
