With winter at doorstep, Northern Railways has started fog-safety trainings for its drivers with a view to prevent rail accidents.
The drivers are being trained in operating the fog-safety device, which is a GPS-controlled device.
Ludhiana station director Tarun Kumar said, “We want to ensure the safety of passengers and hence are providing special training to train drivers. These workshops are open for drivers from any district and state. Drivers from Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ambala division and Firozpur Division participate in these sessions.”
“It is really difficult to run the trains when visibility is poor due to dense fog. But the fog-safety device will alert drivers of the next signal well in advance and make navigation easier.”
The officer said drivers are being trained to ply the train at a certain speed. “They should not miss any signal and thus the speed of the train should be adjusted accordingly,” stated Kumar.
Another railway officer said the device also helps run trains at a decent speed amid fog.
“Usually, trains get delayed due to thick fog which creates hassles for passengers. The device has been fed with all railway routes. The drivers just need to fill the route to be followed by the train and the device will give sound alerts before each signal. Thus, drivers don’t need to move the trains at a very low speed; they can run it at a moderate speed using the alerts from the device,” said an official.
{{/usCountry}}“Usually, trains get delayed due to thick fog which creates hassles for passengers. The device has been fed with all railway routes. The drivers just need to fill the route to be followed by the train and the device will give sound alerts before each signal. Thus, drivers don’t need to move the trains at a very low speed; they can run it at a moderate speed using the alerts from the device,” said an official.
{{/usCountry}}According to officials, no train accident has been reported in recent years, but these workshops are being organised as a precautionary measure.