Real-time monitoring of various systems, reducing human interface and digital initiatives to provide better amenities to passengers and speeding up maintenance works to ensure higher safety standards are being given a big push by the Railway Board. About 20 ‘in house’ technologies developed by the railway engineers themselves have found official favour and zonal managers have been asked to do ‘mass scale’ implementation.
The Railway Board in its directive has informed the general managers concerned that a total of 2,645 ‘good works’ done in various divisions to improve safety and efficiency were received between August and September last year. For instance, German designed LHB passenger coaches need periodic checks for springs when dissembling and assembling happens. It usually takes 53 days to get a single coach back into running shape. However, thanks to the South Eastern Central Railway (SCER) developed special gadget which in tandem with hydraulic jacks, the time has been cut to just seven days reducing ‘sickness’ time.
Western Railways has, in turn, developed an innovative technique to take up repairs of locomotive’s support arms without needing to lift the heavy machine and this has helped in reducing the maintenance time from 120 hours in all to just 10 hours, pointed out senior railway officials.
A ‘hot box - hot axle detector system’ developed by North Central Railway (NCR) provides precise information about lubrication and any mechanical flaws in the axles during any high temperatures to maintenance engineers and helps avoid any possible derailment. “It has non-human interface, totally automated and self-maintained giving round the clock signals to any train passing by. Data is not only transmitted but also can be logged in for cross-checking later too,” they informed.
Yet, some ideas are as simple as an alarm bell which automatically goes off two minutes before the scheduled departure of an express train from the platform preventing passengers from rushing to get in the last minute causing unnecessary tension all round. This has been tried in Allahabad railway station and has come in for appreciation from passengers, informed senior railway officers.
Another is maintenance free and no power requiring ‘Natural water cooler’ on platforms developed by Western Railway where water is passed through copper coils for a natural evaporation system to give cool drinking water. It is under implementation in few suburban stations of Mumbai and other places.
Real time monitoring of CCTV cameras inside coaches has already been initiated and a pilot exercise began in Humsafar coaches where all cameras are interlinked and the guard at the end of the train has a viewing screen to monitor the activities inside. This, railway officials, claim will not only help in acting quickly in case of any theft but also during any emergencies.
Other locally developed technologies approved are: Rail rod equipment laser based technique for installing or repairing overhead electric traction equipment within few hours accurately without too much disruption in rail movement, Railway vendor guidance system mobile app where drawings and specifications can be provided to save time and reduce paper work; Robotic welding, Ultrasonic flaw detection of rails and welds on vehicular system; Line temperature monitoring system for passing and terminating trains as well as locomotives to detect defects automatically, etc.
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