Because of targeted measures like closing unmanned stage crossings and emphasising observe upkeep, the protection document of Indian Railways by way of fatalities and accidents has actually improved. File
| Picture Credit score: The Hindu

The mud and din haven’t settled for the reason that tragic accident involving the GFCJ container prepare (items prepare), which, whereas travelling at excessive pace, rammed into the 13174 Agartala-Sealdah Kanchanjunga Specific, leading to 11 deaths and roughly 40 accidents. Amidst the uproar, it is extremely essential to look at some vital factors.

Because of targeted measures like closing unmanned stage crossings and emphasising observe upkeep, the protection document of Indian Railways by way of fatalities and accidents has actually improved. Nevertheless, evaluating this information to previous information to color a rosy image is deceptive. Fashionable programs and instruments make reaching a zero-fatality document an attainable purpose, and that is what the Railways needs to be pursuing. Furthermore, the Union authorities’s substantial funding, allocating almost 25% of its whole capex to railways, makes funding all security works properly throughout the Indian Railway’s attain. The non-availability of assets can’t be a pink herring any extra.

A statutory inquiry by the Commissioner of Railway Security (CRS) is underneath manner, and the trigger and duty for the accident will quickly be decided. It’s nearly a foregone conclusion that the crew of the GFCJ container prepare, the station grasp, and maybe even the sign maintainer will probably be held accountable for ignoring the stipulated Automated Sign territory protocol. This sample of assigning blame to decrease stage functionaries repeats with every critical accident.

There are different points which can or will not be routine and beg extra consideration. First, the data administration and communication of Indian Railways. Whilst information in regards to the accident have been nonetheless rising, the Chairperson of the Railway Board prematurely declared the container prepare crew’s disregard of indicators because the prima facie trigger. She additionally acknowledged that each crew members had died. Whereas the previous is proving to be solely partially true, the latter was an insensitive and misguided assertion because the assistant loco pilot has survived.

When questioned in regards to the sluggish rollout of Kavach, an indigenous signalling system that additionally prevents collisions, she cited restricted capability within the supporting business as a important cause. If industrial capability is missing, it’s the Indian Railway’s duty to encourage and nurture the allied business with significant assurances so that they put money into capability constructing. Notably, the Railways determined to undertake the Kavach system after in depth trials over 1,400 kilometres on the Southern Central Railway almost three years in the past, preferring it over the established European system, ETCS Degree II. The challenge has been a piece in progress since then. Such sluggish execution of a challenge signifies a scarcity of deal with security works.

If the Indian Railways continues to be not assured of the system’s efficacy or pace of implementation, why plan for its adoption? If that’s certainly the case, there isn’t a hurt in putting in ETCS Degree II in some essential sections whereas Kavach matures. 

We now have heard that Kavach is underneath implementation on the Delhi-Howrah and Delhi-Mumbai sections, however the goal for completion has been missed. It’s pertinent to refer to 2 suggestions from the CRS’ report on the Vizianagaram prepare accident final yr. The report emphasised the precedence implementation of Kavach in Automated Signalling territories, as they’re susceptible to collisions, and steered quicker set up in locomotives and trains forward of floor installations to extend the likelihood, if not assure, of stopping collisions. The Railways ought to fixate on the trunk routes and Automated Signalling territories for quicker set up of Kavach, aiming for 4,000 to five,000 km/yr, which is achievable. Why are differing views on the protocol to be adopted by station masters and crews within the case of Automated sign failure rising? This problem was criticised by the CRS within the stated report, highlighting badly drafted guidelines that result in ambiguity about what to do within the case of Automated sign failure. 

Indian Railways, like many authorities entities, is overstaffed. Nevertheless, there are some safety-critical classes the place work is extremely steady, resembling loco crew, prepare supervisor, station grasp, pointsman and sign maintainer. Any vacancies in these classes imply stress and overwork for the present employees. Carrying such vacancies to avoid wasting expenditure is self-defeating. Though there are almost 20,000 vacancies for loco pilot/assistant loco pilot positions, Indian Railways issued a discover for recruiting solely 5,658 heads earlier this yr. When the difficulty was raised strongly after this accident, this was revised to 18,799 heads, clearly exhibiting a cavalier dealing with of an essential matter.

An enormous query is whether or not the accident was an aberration or if related close to misses are commonplace within the affected part. If the enquiry reveals that such incidents have been certainly frequent, it will level to a grave administration failure. A associated problem is the inaction in using AI-enabled purposes to enhance security put up mortems and supply actionable alerts. In depth digital information from station information loggers and microprocessors on locomotives and trains could be successfully managed by AI, filtering out the irregularities to precipitate the grave ones and projecting them recurrently to the very high of railway administration.

One hopes that the enquiry report will delve extra into managerial points this time, such {that a} clear path towards a secure, accident-free Indian Railways could be charted out.

Sudhanshu Mani is Retired Basic Supervisor/Indian Railways, Chief of Practice 18/Vande Bharat challenge and impartial rail guide