Railway Minister inaugurates seminar on IR
23 July 2004, Webindia123.com

Union Minister of Railways, Shri Lalu Prasad, expressing concern over the growing incidents of accidents at the unmanned level crossings, said urgent steps were being taken to reduce the same. Inaugurating a two-day seminar on “Signalling and Telecommunications Systems on Indian Railways-a Vision for the Future” here today.

The Minister said innovative technology in signalling and telecom could provide warning to road users through flashing light and siren to avert accidents at the level crossings which are caused by the road users. Shri Lalu Yad expressed happiness that a new technology in this regard was being tried at 90 manned and unmanned level crossings, which, if successful, would be extended to cover all level crossings in the country.

Talking of improving safety of rail services with the input of modern signalling and telecommunications, the Minister said under the ongoing Rs.17,000 crores Special Railway Safety Fund, overaged signalling equipment was being replaced so as to make the rail services safer, speedier and efficient. He said track circuiting of railway stations had already been completed on A, B, C, D and D special routes, where the average speed of trains was 75 kilometre per hour. The Minister expressed his confidence that with the completion of the ongoing track circuiting on the entire rail routes, safety would improve immensely. Another area of concern expressed by the Minister was that related to a driver shooting a signal resulting in major accidents. In this connection, the Minister said steps were underway to provide train safety warning system on 280 track kilometres on Southern and North Central Railways. After its successful trial, such a warning device to alert drivers would be extended to the entire route. Shri Lalu Prasad said mobile train radio communication was also being introduced for communication between the staff on board a train and a station for better safety of train services. This system, being introduced on Northern, Eastern, East Central, North Central and Northeast Frontier Railways, would further enhance the safety of train operations, he added.

In the area of telecom, the Minister said modernization of telecom system on the railways all along its route kilometres was underway taking advantage of the ongoing revolution in the information technology sector. RailTel, a public sector unit of his Ministry, has begun providing cyber café and internet facilities at stations and in trains. A beginning in this regard has already been made, the Minister added. Another revolution in telecom was the introduction of Anti-Collision Device (ACD), the process of which having already commenced along 1700 route kilometres on the Northeast Frontier Railway, was to be completed during the current financial year. The ACD would be extended to cover all Indian Railways in the days to come, he said. 
The Minister was happy to inform that electronic interlocking of signalling, digital axle counter and train actuated warning device have commenced indigenously to herald the ultimate modernization of signalling on Indian Railways, which was a happy augury.

The Minister of State for Railways, Shri R. Velu, in his address, exhorted the signalling and telecom engineers to ponder over the measures for eliminating accidents at level crossings. The other Minister of State for Railways, Shri Naranbhai Rathwa, spoke of the growing importance of signalling and telecom in safe and efficient rail services to the nation.

The Chairman, Railway Board, Shri R.K. Singh, said the new government had accorded the highest priority to the infrastructure segment, which benefited the railways greatly as a core infrastructure for its rapid pursuit of expansion, modernsiation, improvement in safety and throughput. In this regard, signalling and telecom played a vital role, he averred.

Earlier, the Member Electrical, Railway Board and Patron, Institution of Railway Signal & Telecom Engineers (IRSTE) (India), Shri S.C. Gupta, in his keynote address, gave an overview of signalling and telecom segments of Indian Railways in historic perspective and said that Indian Railways were on the brink of revolution to this effect to enhance safety of rail services. The Additional Member (Telecom), Shri R.C. Sharma, in his capacity as President of IRSTE delivered the welcome address.

The two-day seminar is deliberating over the future scenario of signalling and telecom on Indian Railways in the light of the ongoing world-wide revolution in this sector. The broad recommendations of the seminar are intended to help the government in the modernization of signalling and telecom on the railways.

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