13_chapter-7 to improve indian railways

8/18/2019 13_chapter-7 to Improve Indian Railways

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AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF EMERGING ECONOMIC TRENDS OF INDIAN RAILWAYS

SINCE 1998 TO 2008

Dr.S.K.S.YADAV 255 ANUJ KUMAR

CHAPTER-7

Problems and Solutions to Improve IndianRailways

Positive Side of A Coin(Strength):

Indian Railways is the world’s largest employer and one of the biggest and busiest rail

networks in the world, carrying some 17 million people and more than one million tonnes

of freight daily. It was, however, until very recently, a loss-making organization, which

was heading for bankruptcy. Starting his term in 2004 with a budget of just $200 million

with which to save the national institution, India’s Minister of Railways Lalu Prasad

engineered a dramatic turnaround. Last year, Indian Railways’ revenue came to $6 billion.

During the visit of Railway Minister Mr. Lalu Yadav INSEAD Singapore, he told a

gathering of MBA participants, alumni and executives about his strategy for bringing the

rail network into the 21st century. Flouting prescriptions to privatize Indian Railways,

retrench staff, and increase passenger and freight fares by 20 per cent in every budget,

Prasad instead chose to keep on board 1.4 million employees and 1.1 million pensioners,

reduced fares by up to 45 per cent, and - while refusing to privatize the core business of

Indian Railways - started public-private partnerships in some peripheral areas. “We have

broken the myth that whenever any government organization runs into losses that you

privatize it and retrench the manpower … My belief is that if we have honesty, vision and

commitment to the organization.” Said Mr. Lalu Prasad Yadav

Chapter-7


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It’s a strategy based on volume. While output has increased threefold, real operating costs

have fallen over the last 25 years. By increasing the capacity of a typical long-distance

train to 2000 passengers from 800, unit costs fell by 45 per cent. The practice of taking

seven days to load or unload a freight train was reduced to five, and systematic changes

have helped to rein in corruption. Garib rath trains, also known as the ‘poor man’s

chariot’, now have air-conditioning with cushioned seats and suction toilets.

Bringing down freight fares has greatly benefited local industry, Prasad says. In a country

where agriculture is the backbone of the economy, he says there is a huge role for Indian

Railways in helping farmers directly connect with markets for their goods.

“There are no markets in the places where production happens and middle men buy the

agricultural produce at cheap prices. We are going to open agricultural centers at stations

so farmers don’t have to search for markets. Through joint ventures, we will set up cold

storage and purchase points in stations, as well as freezer containers, so they can send

agricultural produce around the country and beyond. We will charge farmers appropriate

and reasonable prices. This will enrich farmers, and this increase in income will mean

they can buy the things that everyone else is buying.”

With regard to private investment, Prasad says the turnaround has piqued interest in

investing in the railways. While the private sector can play a role – in building engines

and wheels, and world-class stations, for example – Prasad insists there is absolutely no

chance of allowing privatization of the core business, “rail, running of trains, [and]

control of all the trains.” Indian Railways’ surplus earnings mean that the organization

does not have to depend on overseas development assistance from bodies such as the

Japan International Cooperation Agency to expand “JICA or no JICA - we are self-

sufficient.”

In an exclusive interview with INSEAD Knowledge, Prasad said freight trains are Indian

Railways’ “earning horse,” and he has extensive plans for expanding freight lines,

increasing their efficiency, and capturing the 60 per cent of goods that are still


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transported by road. A third line – a dedicated freight corridor – is also being constructed

to connect even the most remote areas with all ports and industrial hubs.

Prasad is also keen to help in India’s water conservation efforts, by building siphons andcanals, and – on the wasteland on either side of the 64,000 kilometers of track – pipes

with water for drinking and irrigation. He also outlined efforts to reduce fuel

consumption by building train carriages from aluminum to reduce their weight. “With the

increasing price of fuel, we have to keep an alternative in mind. Therefore, we are going

to electrify the main routes in the entire country. The (proposed civil) nuclear deal (with

the US which would allow India to develop nuclear technology to meet its growing

energy demands) – which should be reached – is also likely to help.”

With an eye to the future, Prasad says that as India’s population continues to grow, there

will be a need for more trains, more engines and wheels. “Even now, we buy wheels from

abroad. We have only two factories, and are building a third. It’s fine that these things

come from abroad but we have the skills, unemployment, and youth.” Prasad also

recommends learning from another country with a “magnanimous population” – China.

“China has gone really far ahead. We will have to learn from them

… Instead of jealousy, we should see what our neighbour is doing and copy that.”

Indian Railways’ turnaround had required a fundamental shift in mindset. As Prasad’s

adviser, Sudhir Kumar, notes: “We are not in the business of railways; we are in the

business of transportation – one of several modes of transportation, and the only way to

survive and thrive in the marketplace is to offer superior and compelling value to your

customers.”

No other form of transportation can beat the Economy of Steel Wheels on Steel Rails. For

the movement of passengers and goods in huge/large numbers there is no other mode of

transport which can do this cheaply and efficiently. As the population grows the need for

more trains would obviously arise.

China is already well ahead in the field of rail transportation and building up faster trains

and taking steps to link up to the web of the Trans Asian Railway. It is understood that


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India is also partaking in the endeavour to link up to the Trans Asian Railway which

could traverse overland from Singapore to Istanbul and onwards to London / Moscow etc.

Many thought that the days of the railways are over. But the reverse seems to be true.

China has a high speed maglev train from Pudong to Shanghai speeding at 450 Km per

hour. It is understood that there were plans for such a train from Shanghai to Beijing but

possibly the present financial structures may delay that project for the time being.

India is fast modernizing its railway services and support facilities. Making use of the

strategic position of most railway stations a catchments centers it could take advantage of

putting the land to commercial use as is the trend in Japan; UK; Europe and elsewhere.

The Negative Side of a Coin(Weakness):

Despite of positive side of a coin there is a negative side of this coin also. Therefore, a list

of some burning issues relating to Indian Railways is as follows:

(i) Mechanical Issues:

a. Coupling of locomotives and failures

b. Availability and failure of powers

c. Increased braking distance and its impact on operations of trains

d. Improved designs of wagons and their colour (provision of additional springs on

wagons, etc.)

e. Requirements of bankers

f . Design of 25 ton/30 ton axle load wagons within the existing standard moving

dimensions

g. Re-examination of the restriction on the axle load of BOXN HA wagons which

through designed for 23.5 tons are restricted to 20.32 tons due to the restrictionh. Modification of design of existing wagons on order to make them fit for 25 ton/30 ton

operations

(ii) Engineering - Track and Bridges relating Issues:

a. Stallings, wheel burns, instances on exit from yards, graded sections

b. Standard of maintenance required


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c. Rail stresses and reduced fatigue life, quality of grooved rubber pads. Impact on PRC

sleepers, track fittings, formation and need for formation strengthening by blanketing,

frequency of incidences of rail/weld fractures

d. Planning for track renewals for long and continuous stretches free of speed restrictions

e. USFD testing to detect rolling contact fatigue and gauge comer fatigue defects

f. Behaviour of LWR, need of distressing twice – before winter and summer seasons

g. Rail profile measurements, rail grinding

h. While the track structure for 25 ton axle load has been specified as 70 kg 90 UTS rail

of PSC sleepers 1,660 per kilometer, no track standard has yet been laid down for 30 ton

axle load. Work on this needs to be taken up by RDSO

i. Bridge capability by using non-destructive techniques for assessing capability of

bridges taking into account the design features and to identify individual bridges which

may need strengthening or which could be used with speed restriction for the high axle

load till they are strengthened.

j. The need for review of the standard of construction of all new line bridges/gauge

conversion projects now in progress where track work has not yet been done to identify

sections where the required upgrading for higher axle load can be done now itself by the

process of material modification to the sanctioned estimates.

k. There would appear to be a need to review the existing codes for design of bridges

utilizing the services of IITs and eminent consultants to study the world practices and

update our codes

l. To start with, monitoring of the effect of the haulage of 58 BOXN wagon trains with

CC+8+2 loading needs to be done with wheel impact load detectors and inspection and

checking of the effect on individual sample bridges.

(iii) Traffic relating Issues:a. Stalling of freight trains in the sections (level and graded)

b. Monitoring of overloading of wagons (CC+8+2) and weighment conditions

c. Trailing load and powering of trains

d. Requirement of bankers on graded sections

e. Operational problems of running heavier freight trains


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f. Running of coupled locomotives.

(iv) Electrical relating Issues:

a. Coupling of electrical locomotives, failures of powers due to increased load,

calculation of increased braking distance and its impact on operation of trains

b. Movement of TE and PF coupled with loco operations.

(v) S and T relating Issues:

Increased braking distances and its impact on inter-signal distances: There would be a

need to examine the impact of the heavier axle load trains on the braking distance and

location of signals to see if any modifications are required.

(vi) RDSO relating Issues:

a. Reports of wheel impact load detectors

b. Study on rail stresses based on increased track modulus calculated

c. Report of stresses on sleepers at various points

d. Report of bridge load monitoring system

e. Report of vibration signature technique to measure dynamic recording and to monitorcharacteristic and changes thereto to monitor health of bridges

f. TRC/Oscillation trials of sections carrying heavy axle load.

Other important issues are:

Overcrowding in General Compartments

Cutting Railway Lines and Stealing Fiss Plates Causing Accidents

Trains Late Arrival

Unhygienic conditions of waiting rooms

Unhygienic condition of public convenience

Railway Garbage Management


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Some Major Problems in Detail:

Problems ensuring security

There are many limitations in providing security to the rail travelers. The sheer volume of

traffic, around 40-50 lakh people traveling on a daily basis, makes any kind of

management a nightmare. Since almost every passenger is in transit the reporting of

crimes is a serious problem too. Even if a crime is discovered early, the report can only

be made at the next station. Here too, only serious cases involving assaults and physical

harm are reported for the victim has little time to go the GRP to file an FIR. In most

cases the FIR is lodged only at the final destination of the passenger; that may be

hundreds of miles away. By the time this report is received at the police post that

has jurisdiction over the area the passenger and all the witnesses have gone home.

Except for the FIR there is virtually no other evidence to investigate the case.

In a large number of cases the victim does not even know where his bag or other

valuables have been stolen, and discovers they are missing only at the destination. This

makes it difficult to even establish the place of occurrence of the crime; that affects its

eventual investigation and prosecution. Not surprisingly, the clearance rates of crimes onrailways are very low.

Limited seats and lack of accommodation for all passengers leads to forcible entries and

‘capture’ of seats by aggressive passengers or anti-social elements. This situation also

creates opportunities for thieves to steal property. In crowded compartments it is easy for

criminal gangs to pilfer from passenger bags and carry-on. Low ratios of police to

passengers make it difficult for police to provide security to everyone. Over-crowding

creates obstacles for police personnel to travel from one coach to another; this inhibits

patrolling in the compartments and obstructs quick response to calls for help.

A major associated problem is the over-crowding and entry of a large number of people

on railway stations. In fact, most large railway stations serve as shelters for homeless

people. The entry of unauthorized coolies, vendors and a large number of illegal travelers


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or people coming to see off their friends and relatives, all lead to an unmanageable

crowding on railway platforms. These situations affect the provision of security on the

railways and makes rail travel dangerous in the country.

Fixing 'broken windows'

The problem of restoring order and controlling crime in any region is rooted in the

establishment of a modicum of civility and safety for ordinary citizens in their everyday

life. Crime is a symptom of deep rooted social-political and economic problems in which

the inability of a community to stand up for itself is perhaps most significant. The

incompetence of the enforcement agencies, disintegrated community groups, powerless

NGOs and indifferent private businesses contribute to this situation. Furthermore, their

unwillingness to cooperate and stand together is a major reason that fails to deter the

motivated offenders and provides easy opportunities to commit serious crimes. In the

United States, the term ‘Broken windows’ is used to describe this situation.

The 'broken windows' approach recognizes that serious crimes are the proverbial tip of

the iceberg; usually in areas where serious crimes are observed, one finds that beneath the

surface an enormous number of much smaller offences go unchecked and unpunished.

The thesis of broken windows argues that the key to control the crime situation is the

regeneration of the community that believes in its capacity to improve its condition. This

is brought about by understanding the situational context of problems, concentrating upon

the smaller issues of orderliness, abatement of nuisances, petty crimes and rule of law. It

is this attempt to establish basic order that begins the process of combating serious

crimes.

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, Environmental Criminology andProblem Oriented Policing are some of the ways in which crime problems of similar

nature have been dealt in the US, Britain, Germany, Australia and Sweden. All these new

approaches focus upon the context in which crime occurs. Situational prevention seeks to

reduce the opportunities for specific forms of crime by increasing the effort and risk of

criminal behavior and reducing its rewards. This approach was used very successfully in


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the New York transit system, and subsequently to fight crime in the city itself, with

dramatic results.

Solution of this Problem:

The possible solution lies in first attending to the smaller problems and then learning

from their results to develop bigger and bolder solutions to the more serious problems of

rail travel. Since large crowds on railway platforms and within passenger coaches create

the situation for most crimes, the need is to deal with them first. Here, the experience of

handling large groups on airports could be emulated. The railways need to ensure that

entry on its premises is restricted only to bonafide passengers who have a valid ticket. In

order to safeguard a premise the entry and exit points needs to be strengthened. Several

designs have been created to control crowds.

Subway stations around the world control their premises through turnstiles where the

passenger has to place his ticket for gaining entry to the platform. These help in reducing

the need for ticket checkers who find it difficult to handle large groups. Indian railway

stations can also adopt this mechanism without incurring huge costs. The extra inspectors

could then be utilized for checking illegal entrants who may attempt to slip from other

entry points. The railways can also place strict restrictions on the amount of baggage that

passengers can carry and this too will help in cluttering the space within the

compartments as well as increasing surveillance. Once the entry of unwanted people on

the platform and coaches is controlled the other steps become easier to handle. In order to

control the entry-exit points the railways may need to redesign the stations or alter

existing gates and check points.

Considering that video cameras are now fairly affordable every station could also beinstalled with one that can record continuously for long periods of time. This will not

only act as a deterrent but also help identify habitual offenders and violators. Even the

presence of video cameras is known to deter offenders, a situation known as the

‘multiplier effect’. The technology to recognize faces has been applied by security

agencies in the US and can be developed by Indian industry as well.


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Additionally, if every traveler is properly ticketed and his particulars stored in a database,

it will become easier to identify passengers traveling in a particular coach. This

identification can in turn help police investigation of reported crimes, for the search of

suspects can be narrowed down to those traveling in the particular coach. Further, this

will also help identify those who may be causing harassment to other passengers and

wrecking railway property. It is also not too far fetched to suggest that video cameras and

communication systems could be installed in every railway coach [beginning with more

notorious trains first]. These systems can further summon help in emergencies.

With each dramatic and tragic event that hits the headlines, the demand for solutions is

raised, but the typical response - additional security personnel - has not worked

satisfactorily. Crimes on trains are only the most visible consequence of overlooking

many minor shortfalls in the system itself, and we cannot hope for safer journeys until

each of these is tackled first.

Fighting crime on the tracks

For the Railways, the key to crime-control is to concentrate on the smaller issues of

orderliness, abatement of nuisances, petty crimes and rule of law.

February 2004 - The murder of Manish Kumar - a relative of the Prime Minster who

was thrown off a moving train in Bihar - has again brought into focus the insecurity

prevailing in rail travel in much of the country. Similarly, several other cases have also

been taken plce.

Sexual violence on trains:

The attack on women passengers from the North East in Katihar, the stripping of a Mizo

girl, also on a rail segment in Bihar, the rape of a young girl on a suburban train in

Mumbai, the regular and forcible occupation of seats by politicians and goons, and the

high rates of railway crimes all suggest that rail travel is fraught with danger in the

country.


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Indeed, the railway services in Bihar, especially on the route from Mughal Sarai to

Mokameh Junction are notorious for crimes, unruly youths and poor security. Gangs of

youth and short distance commuters barge into the compartments and evict passengers

from their legitimate seats. But this section of railways is notorious for other reasons too.

Serious crimes, including violent ones are also fairly common. Dacoities, robberies,

thefts and vandalism are rampant in this section of the Indian railways. Of all the railway

dacoities in India, almost 51% are reported from Bihar and UP segments. Dacoities on

the Patna rail police jurisdiction, covering the Mughal Sarai-Mokameh route account for

almost 23% of all crimes according to a recent report by the National Crime Records

Bureau.

Although security in the trains and on platforms is the responsibility of Government

Railway Police (GRP), a state police unit, nevertheless, it is the image of the Indian

railways that is adversely affected. Considering that this section is the main route

connecting Delhi to Calcutta and the NE states, the importance of security on this route

cannot be ignored either. The situation in other parts of the country is marginally better.

Anyone traveling in Mumbai or Kolkatta local trains, parts of Central or NE India and

even around Delhi would have experienced harassment, threats, over-crowding and fear

of victimization. A rail journey is hardly a pleasant experience in the country.

Security personnel from the Railway ministry and state police establishments too have

not been professional in dealing with this problem. For most IPS officers a posting in the

railways is not desirable, and their efforts are rather focused upon getting back to

mainstream police establishment. Accordingly, police leadership too has not been

dealing with this problem seriously.

Solution:

Security personnel from the Railway ministry and state police establishments should be

professional in dealing with the problem.


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Problem of Booking Proper Berths

To start off: While booking our ticket, in the reservation form mention 'Mid-Coach-

Inside-LB', in the preferences column of the form. (That is, only when we know that

sufficient berths are available, and we can have the luxury of choice.) Also keep in mind,

benefit to Indian Railways. Travelling in Sleeper Coaches that if passenger does not

mention any preference, he might even end up with berth no: 72(SUB), even if he

happens to be one of the first guys booking his accommodation.

Why 'mid-coach'? (Berths 25 to 40 etc)?

The light from the corridors will not affect your night's sleep (if you are undertaking a

night journey); the light from the coach ends invariably illuminates the first and the last

bays (1 to 8 and 65 to 72), much against our wishes. There are chances that our luggage

might be much safer, if we are, in the middle of the coach. (Any person, near the door can

walk off coolly with our belongings, at any roadside station, before we can blink an eye).

Many of our friends lost their shoes, hand bags etc, just because they happened to be

booked on one of the side berths towards the end of the coach, and were not careful

enough. In any case, it is always better to secure our luggage with the help of a safety

chain. The smell from the toilets might not bother us that much, if we happen to be

in the middle of the coach. Toilets do tend to stink badly within a few hours of

commencement of journey, and this can be terrible.

Why 'Inside-Lower-Berth'?

An inside berth is much more comfortable, and is lengthier than a side berth. And for a

tall person, side berths especially the side uppers are a strict no-no. And then we will not

be quite disturbed, by the movement of people in the corridor, if we happen to be on an

inside berth.

It has been observed that during day time journeys, short distance passengers board SL

coaches, and make themselves comfortable on our berths. we follow a simple procedure.

we pull up the middle berth, and spread out our bed sheet and air pillow across the berth


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and stretch ourself out lazily. This would deter many a short distance traveller from

sitting on our berth. After all, why are we paying the SL class fare? (Let us hasten to say

that this might not work under all circumstances.)

Problem of Beggars, Wandering Mendicants, Urchins, Hawkers,

Eunuchs -- a common sight

Beggars. They are ubiquitous. Ignore them. The blind couple types, who sing an

apology-for-a-song, as they go about begging for alms... The women with crying babies-

in-arms, who try to evoke your sympathy, with fervent 'please...' for milk, food for the

little one. The floor-cleaner-urchin types... With a rag in hand, the small fellow will clean

your compartment floor and then beg for alms. Some do it diligently, others just put up an

act. The singing-balladeers: A small girl/boy with a couple of stones in hand, sing a

popular movie song accompanied by the clackety clack of the stones. The card-droppers:

A man or woman will quickly go through the coach handing you cards that urge you to

donate towards some orphanage, etc. and then come back, requesting for 'donations'.

Don't be fooled! Eunuchs: Some 'request' money in a mild tone, others tend to get

aggressive. Ignore them.

Solution: Baggers should strictly be prohibited t enter in the train by T.T. and RPF

policemen.

Food

In almost all of the long distance pantry cars, we get

dinner, lunch, etc., in casseroles. Some might be

good, and others might be quite bad, depending on the

base kitchen from where they have been obtained).

We can either order the food from the PC, or best, get

down at the major stations and check out the food

stuffs available. Most of them are not having good

quality product; we get hot puris but the oil used is

not very good, or say any other food stuff, which is made minutes before the train pulls in


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to the platform but having bad quality and costly one. The hawkers shout loudly to sell

their product. Most of the cases the quality of food products is sub-standard.

Solution: Only authorized hawkers should be allowed in the reserved railcompartments. And the quality of food items should be prescribed and the price should

be reasonable.

Toilets: -- They stink most of the time making the journey a bit

uncomfortable. What can be done?

Well at many of the big stations, we do have the sanitary staff clean the toilets with the

mechanized toilet cleaner, but then again, as the train proceeds further, things are back to

square one. Blame it, more often than not, on the passengers themselves, who do not

flush the toilets properly.

All of us might not like it, but do what we do. Carry a bottle of Domex or scented phenyl

with us. This might sound ridiculous, but believe us, it does save us from stinking toilets.

Or just close our nose, and pretend that the smell never existed!

Miscellaneous

Also carry an old newspaper with us. Upper berths (or any berths or seats for that

matter) can get quite dusty, and require a proper dusting. Safe drinking water is a must.

We cannot trust even bottled mineral water now-a-days, but then compared to the water

available at stations, they seem a better bet. And a first-aid kit with medicines for

stomach ache, headache, nausea, disinfectants, cotton, etc., might prove handy in

unforeseen circumstances.


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To conclude, travelling by sleeper class can be a pleasure or a pain. It's up to us how we

take it.

Indian Railways' Garbage Problem

It was more than we could stand; and though it was not premeditated, when a poor

woman aimed the cup out the window, we instinctively reached out and caught it,

scalding our hand with the remains of the chai in the process. The woman was shocked

and angry, and lashed out at us. What the hell were we doing? She was simply disposing

of trash! we began a harsh, but even-toned rhetorical inquiry. “Why would you throw

trash from the train? Are you so important that someone else should have to pick-up after

you? Do we have so little self-respect that we are untroubled living amid garbage?”

The woman was unrepentant, and she seized on this last

question with such defiance and obvious satisfaction,

she clearly believed she had routed the debate. “I don’t

live here,” she said. “Look out the window,” We

continued. “Many people live where we are throwing

our trash. Don’t we have any consideration for the

people who must live amid the garbage we throw?”

Most rail passengers, like most of India’s urban

population, seem to care little or nothing for anyone but

themselves.

“Do we want to turn our country into a garbage pit?

Do we hate our country so much?”

The impugning of an Indian’s patriotism gets them everytime. Sure enough, the woman apologized and asked for

the plastic cup back. we told her that she had lost all

rights to the cup, but that we would hold it in until we

reached the station (another hour-and-a-half, at least) and throw it into a dustbin on her

behalf. we also told her that she should not apologize to us, but to her fellow passengers,


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whose country she had been thoughtlessly defiling. The other passengers, needless to say,

had been watching this scene unfold with rapt attention.

Though we deliver variants of this sermon nearly every day we are in India, we usuallydo not intend to disgrace our targets as we did with this woman. With practice, our tone

has become gentler, even as our message is unwavering and unforgiving. People already

understand that littering is wrong; but they seem to need an object lesson – like a

foreigner picking up his refuse and placing it in the nearby dustbin – to drive the point

home. But on that day, we were angry, and we did all within our power to see that the

woman’s humiliation was complete. In mitigation of our admitted cruelty, we shall say

that it is hard to ride the rails in India without feeling the bitterness which provoked our

relentlessness.

Indian Railways operates the most extensive, most densely

utilized train system in the world. Each year it tickets more

than four billion passenger journeys, and passengers travel

more than 310 trillion kilometers – over 850 billion

passenger-kilometers every day. Some substantial

percentage of those passenger-kilometers generates trash and

human waste, almost all of which finds its way to the tracks

or the landscape beyond.

The toilets on Indian trains are little more than compartments in which to squat over a

hole to the track below. They are in fairly constant use. This

may actually be a reasonable, if imperfect, way of disposing

of such a vast quantity of human waste – distributing it

along the tracks, a place guaranteed to be uninhabited, to

sterilize in the searing tropical sun.

The key to this system, of course, is that passengers use the

toilets when the train is moving along open stretches of track, and not standing still in the

station. The toilets even have signs, remind passengers to please refrain from using them


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at the stations. Take a guess where many passengers prefer to use the shitter? Now,

imagine what the average Indian railway station smells like.

The great Gandhian civil engineer, Ishwarbhai Patel, a winner of India’s prestigiousPadmashri award for his lifetime of work in sanitation, actually developed a simple

mechanism to eliminate this problem. Instead of falling directly to the tracks, waste is

captured in a holding tank, and only released when the train reaches intercity speeds.

Indian Railways, however, never implemented this solution.

In the last two weeks, we have ridden more than 90 hours on Indian Railways trains,

long-hauls between various metros. We have made an informal, non-scientific survey of

the track-side landscape in the course of the journeys, looking out the window or the open

doorways at the end of the cars. We have yet to observe a single one-meter stretch that is

garbage-free, even in the most remote countryside.

The passengers are not the only ones to blame for this disgusting state-of-affairs. Indian

Railways – the Government of India, itself – is a leading distributor of trash along the

track.

On long-haul routes, Indian Railways trains include a catering car, and tray-loads of hot

meals are served in first, second, and third-

sleeper classes. We have tried, unsuccessfully, to

learn how many such meals are served by the

railways. When the finished meals are collected

by the porters, the trays are taken to the space

between the bogeys, where there is a small

opening to the tracks, and the trash – uneaten

food, plastic bags, aluminum containers, plastic

cups – is dumped from the moving train.

Indian Railways is not only guilty of littering the Indian landscape, it also seems to seek

the active complicity of even its most well-meaning passengers by failing to provide

adequate dustbins on the trains or at station platforms. The on-train bins, one at


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either end of the bogey, have a capacity of less than 8 liters. These dustbins quickly fill

and overflow; and once spilling onto the floor, the floor becomes a magnet for further

trash.

How is train trash ultimately cleaned-up? Much of it, of course, isn’t. It blows into the

fields and open-spaces, rivers and streams, and streets and alleyways along the tracks,

joining litter from other sources. Garbage is quite simply ubiquitous in India.

At the stations, cleaners are hired to pick trash from amid the muck of feces and urine.

At some station stops, street children with brooms board the train to sweep the floors of

the compartments for tips from the passengers. Everyone

seems comfortable with this system; but should seven year

old children really be responsible for picking up after

adults?

On journeys of more than one day, there is usually a stop

at which the tiny dustbins are emptied, and the toilets

hosed-down, by a contractor to the railway. The trains are

also swept of garbage at the terminus, before they begin a

new journey. We have no idea what becomes of the trash

removed from the trains at these points.

Some of the garbage is collected for recycling. In India,

most trash recycling is accomplished by the informal system of rag-picking. The poorest-

of-the-poor sift through the piles of garbage in India’s streets, and along its rail lines, to

collect the plastics that can be sold. It is unhealthy, back-breaking work, which barely

earns the rag-pickers a subsistence income.

None of this ever crosses the mind of people like the woman with whose story we

discussed here. And if it did, it wouldn’t bother them in the least. Their trash is someone

else’s problem


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Deterioration finances and lacks the funds for future investment:

Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav is a wily and disarming politician and has confounded his critics

by becoming one of the country's most successful railway ministers. And he has not

forgotten his cows. “If you don't milk your cow fully it falls sick, and if the cow falls sick

the farmer goes sick,” he says to explain his solutions to the problems of the world's

second largest railway network. With more than 1.4m employees and 63,000km (40,000

miles) of track, the railways still help bind India together, but they have suffered from

deteriorating finances and lack the funds for future investment.

Rather than raise fares as he was urged to do by various reports and pundits, Mr Yadavhas opted for volume-boosting and cost-cutting measures that have made diehard officials

in the stuffy Railways Board shudder. He increased load limits for the system's 220,000

freight wagons by 11%, legalising something that was already happening. He has boosted

the railways' earnings by 72 billion rupees ($1.6 billion) in the current year. Of this, 60

billion rupees came from speeding up turn-round times. These measures have added

some 24% to freight revenues—and freight provides 70% of the railways' earnings.

Mr Yadav has also speeded up train inspections, varied a train's number of passenger

coaches according to demand (they used to have standard lengths), and introduced an

upgrade system to fill vacant upper-class seats (a well-known source of bribes).

Companies are being allowed to run their own container trains. The first tranche of an

11,000km freight corridor linking India's biggest cities has recently been approved.

But why has Mr Yadav tried so unexpectedly hard? Simple. As he openly admits, he

wants to be prime minister. His corruption charges might appear to be something of a

stumbling block, but he is more concerned that his “credibility has improved”. It might

seem a very long shot. But, given the fractious nature of India's coalition politics, the

low-caste populist from India's roughest state cannot be ruled out as a compromise

candidate if things get complicated after a future general election.


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Freight Operation Information System (FOIS) not only enabled the Indian

Railways to manage better and optimize the usage of its assets but paved the way for

Web-enabling the core applications for increased efficiency.

Problem

Increasing competition, dipping revenues One of the biggest challenges for the Indian

Railways is tracking and managing rakes. Rakes often run dead miles after unloading at a

destination, while on other locations there is shortage of rakes. Data not being available at

the right time is a big problem for the huge railway network. Also, the sheer size and the

scale of operations of the railway network make asset management and optimum

utilization of the available rolling stock difficult. All this was realized by Indian Railwaysalmost two decades ago and there has been a constant effort to incorporate the latest

technology to improve performance. Due to a lack of continuous cargo visibility and end-

to-end commitment to freight customers, an important element of supply chain

management could not have been incorporated without the help of IT.

Solution

IT to the rescue Indian Railways implemented Freight Operation Information System

(FOIS), a scalable and reliable freight operations management system. FOIS will be

implemented in phases and has been built on BEA Tuxedo (TP monitor) and BEA

WebLogic Server to extend the core applications to the Web. FOIS is an indigenous

system jointly developed in 1999 by the Center for Railways Information Systems

(CRIS) and CMC.

Results

Optimizing available assets FOIS will enhance customer responsiveness through cargo

visibility and information dissemination, reduce operating expenses and improve asset

utilization. FOIS has been effectively used to track wagons and rakes, which helps in

predicting the demand pattern in different zones. Subsequently it helps in efficient

utilization of rakes. The return time for wagons has reduced. The data available at the

various points across the railway network can now be collated. MIS reports can be

accessed online across all the divisions. While BEA Tuxedo has enabled better


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bandwidth utilization, BEA WebLogic Server has reduced the latency between the data

collected and the MIS reports generated by making everything web-enabled. The overall

productivity and efficiency levels have gone up, giving the Indian Railways room to offer

better services, pricing and be competitive in the transport business.

Business Process challenge: Improving the present with an eye on the

future

Indian Railways earns almost 65 percent of revenue from freight movement. However,

this segment has always been under competitive pressure from other transport and

logistics services. With alternative mode of freight movement readily available,

customers have also become more demanding in terms of delivery status and value for

the money they pay. This reflects in the declining market share of the railways in the

cargo/ freight business. Earlier, the huge railway network generated a lot of data, which

was manually tabulated and reports were prepared at the loading and the unloading

points. Often the reports took more than 10 days to reach the central location from where

the wagons and locomotives were managed. The railway handles different kinds of cargo,

including steel, coal, cement, milk, oil, fertilizers etc, and the companies required the

status of their cargoes. In the absence of online or real time reports this was a difficult proposition. Further, replication of the bulky data was difficult and extracting exact

information from the heap was another cumbersome process.

At the operations level, a lot of time and money was wasted in keeping track of the rakes.

This often delayed scheduling of train load formation as information was not available on

the locations. Also, the assets and the resources were not being utilized efficiently and to

the optimum.

In the early 1980's, the Indian Railways evaluated freight application systems

implemented by other railway companies or organizations around the world. However,

there were a number of differences in those models vis-à-vis practices followed by the

Indian Railways. It was found that in many cases a fair amount of customization and

modification was required to suit the Indian conditions and the railways' requirement.


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The adoption and integration of IT in the system was an imperative for the railways. It

was recommended that CRIS join hands with an IT company and develop core modules

for FOIS. FOIS was launched in 2000. It comprises two parts: The Rake Management

System (RMS) and the Terminal Management System (TMS). The RMS has already

been implemented across India and TMS will be implemented by 2006.

RMS and TMS were the initial phases of FOIS where priority was to aggregate

information (data); prepare MIS and make it available online to reduce the latency. The

use of BEA Tuxedo platform in the core module was instrumental in the successful

implementation of RMS and TMS “Faster dissemination of reports means better

utilization of wagons and better tracking of rakes”.

The usage of SOA and BEA WebLogic Servers will open new ways to keep the

customers informed and also get restricted access to MIS reports for their cargo

shipments. In subsequent phases it will integrate payment gateways for faster clearance

of bills. The highend users involved in business-to-business transactions will get the

consignment information (loading, unloading, transit, and delivery reports) and can pay

online at any of the nodal customer centers once the cycle is completed.

The hub-spoke model being put in place will open a new chapter in the railways'

customer relationship. As the information is stored at a center site with the other points

being given access rights, the customers can get information anywhere they want from

these nodal centers.

KEY BENEFITS

Efficient scheduling and quick turnaround of rakes enables effective and optimum

utilization of existing assets and resources

Tracking of rakes or individual wagons possible in real time

Live monitoring of all freight trains will enable recipients of consignments to get an

accurate forecast of cargo arrival


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Analysis of the total demand for rail transport and its logical matching with incoming

rakes to optimize the supply of empty rakes for loading

As reports are available to every one similar types of stock can be clubbed and

moved in single trainload formations g Customer's orders, billing and cash accounting

of freight traffic can be done at nodal customer centers, and not necessarily at the

handling terminals

High-end and B2B customers can access FOIS features. Web-enablement of FOIS to

help customers with better inventory management and logistics planning

A complete logistics management ecosystem with real time information on the chain

of physical distribution would reduce inventory costs

Customer database and information system can be maintained.

Railway Safety: An example of Synergy

Safety is distinct from Indian Railway's security functions, which include protection of

railway property, both of railway installations and of booked consignments. Safety on IR

is a sum total of the efforts of men and management, observance of methods, rules,

procedures, the performance of machines, including maintenance practices and materials

and utilization of money. In short, it is a paradigm of five Ms _ men, management,

methods, machines (including maintenance and materials) and money.

Safety is an inherent element underlying all planned modernization and technological up-

gradation on IR. The aim is to improve safety through better man-machine interaction,

easier operating systems and reducing the need for human dependence in maintenance

and operation. Safety of trains is the end product of cohesive fusion of myriad parts,

including railway staff, track, rolling stock, signals, electrical equipment,

suppliers/vendors of various equipment, and the most important `the general public'. Anyof the following possibilities, either by itself, or in combination with others, may cause an

accident of a train:-

A mistake or an act of negligence by one of its 6 lakh frontline operating and

maintenance staff


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An incorrect indication on one of lakhs of signals

An equipment/asset failure of loco, wagon, coach, track, signals etc

An impatient or rash move by one of millions of road users negotiating over

38,000 level crossings daily

Irresponsible act of carrying inflammable goods by a less awakened person

Sabotage by misguided elements etc

Indian Railways have performed creditably well on the front of safety on tracks. There is

a reduction of 80% in train accidents since 1960-61, despite nearly 535% increase in passenger traffic and 360% increase in freight traffic respectively. Still, greater heights

are to be achieved towards better safety benchmark.

Accidents

Accident is an occurrence in the course of working of Railway which does or may affect

the safety of the Railway passengers or servants or which affect the safety of others, or

which does or may cause delay to a train or loss to the Railway. The term `accident'envelopes a wide spectrum of occurrences or consequences not necessarily leading to a

mishap.

Types of Train Accidents

Train accidents include train accidents having serious repercussion in terms of loss of

human life, injury, damage to Railway property or interruption to rail traffic of laid down

threshold levels and values. These consequential train accidents include Collision,

Derailments, Fire in Trains, Collisions of trains at Level Crossings and few miscellaneous

incidents. All other train accidents, which are below the threshold values, are treated as

"other train accidents".


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A measure of the gravity of train accidents is the incidence of injury, loss of life and

damage to railway property. Generally, these consequential train accidents only agitate

the public mind, which judges the record of safety of railway travel by the incidence of

these accidents, ignoring other occurrences of minor nature. A few other types of

mishaps, involving serious potential hazards, are given equal importance. Indicative

Accidents, distinct from Consequential Train Accidents include all cases of `train passing

signal at danger', `averted collision', breach of block rules etc. These three types of

indicative accidents underline the philosophy of IR's safety. Signals are sacrosanct, unlike

on roads. `Near-miss' or averted collisions and `breach of block rules', not actually

leading to mishaps offer a serious warning bell to the system. Defaulters are to be

assigned severe punishments as per rule books.

Trends of consequential train accidents

As a result of various safety measures taken continuously, the number of consequential

train accidents has come down from 2131 during 1960-61 to 414 during 2001-2002

despite heavy increase in traffic. And in fact, to have a better appreciation, occurrence of

accidents needs to be viewed in relation to the quantum of traffic handled, indicated in

terms of million train kilometers.

The accidents per million train Kms, an important index of safety, used by most of the

Railways in the world, has also come down from 5.5 accidents per million train Kms.

during 1960-61 to 0.55 accident per million train Kms. during 2001-2002. In simple

terms, whereas accidents are declining sharply, traffic density is increasing substantially

on IR.

The safety performance index has been improving regularly, during the last four decades,as indicated under:

Number of Acc idents(Yearly

Average)

Million Train KMs(Yearly Average)

Incidence of trainaccidentspermillion trainKms.(Yearly Average)


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1960s (1961-1970)

1393 433.8 3.3

1970s (1971-1980) 866 480.9 1.8

1980s (1981-1990) 757 559.8 1.4

1990s (1991-2000) 464 655.8 0.7 2000-2001 only 473 723.8 0.65

2001-2002 only 414 756.4 0.55

Accident trends in the last decade (1992-93 to 2001-02)

The category-wise share of consequential train accidents is important to comprehend

potential hazards of different type of accidents and efforts made to contain each type

separately. During the last decade, (1992-93 to 2001-02), 55% of consequential train

accidents related

to freight trains

only.

Derailments were

the main

contributors

(75%) in the total

tally. They are

followed by 16%

accidents at level

crossings, 7% of

Collisions and

2% of `fire in

trains' in the overall tally.

*Based on 1992-2002 data

In the decade, there is a 21% decline in number of accidents, which dropped from 524 in

1992-93 to 414 accidents during 2001-02 due to Lowest Derailments in 2001-2002


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Although derailments constitute the largest number of consequential train accidents, i.e.

about 75%, their impact is

generally not highly

significant in most of the

situations. The derailments

consisted of 34% passenger

carrying trains, whereas freight

trains logged up 66%

derailments. Out of the total

derailments, 60.33% occurred

in the mid-section while

39.67% took place at the

stations. Normally derailments occurring `at stations' have much less impact. The number

of derailments stood at 1415 in 1960-61, and has come down to 280 during the period

2001-2002. This is the lowest number of derailments in the last forty years, despite

manifold increase in the traffic handled in the intervening period. Derailments are

primarily caused by two major components viz. track and rolling stock.

Collisions: Most dreaded accidents

Collisions are the most dreaded accidents for any railway-man. These can be `side

collisions', `Rear-end' and `head-on collisions'. Trains ramming into another from behind

are called rear-end collisions, while trains colliding on the same track from opposite ends,

are called head-on collisions and are the most fatal of all accidents. Side collisions can

occur either in station area, while converging or diverging or by fouling the adjacent

track in multiple lines territory. Rear-end collisions and head-on collisions can occur at

stations or between the stations. Of the total consequential train accidents, that occurred

during the last decade, the percentage of collisions involving passenger carrying trains

was 4% only, but they are highly volatile mishaps and call for necessary steps to prevent

them at all costs.


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Incidence of collisions per million train kms was 0.19 during the 1960s which came

down to about 0.08 during 1980s, followed by 0.05 collisions per million train kms in

1990s thus, showing a steady decline.

Though, not all collisions result into casualties, but occurrence of even one is a nightmare

for railwaymen in general. To

create appropriate awareness, even

`averted collisions', which

physically did not happen, but

could have occurred, are treated

with equal concern. Incidence of

collisions per million train kms

was 0.19 during the 1960s which

came down to about 0.08 during

1980s, followed by 0.05 collisions per million train kms in 1990s thus, showing a steady

decline.

Though, not all collisions result into casualties, but occurrence of even one is a nightmare

for railwaymen in general. To create appropriate awareness, even `averted collisions',

which physically did not happen, but could have occurred, are treated with equal concern.

Level crossing accidents: High Casualties

Of the total consequential train accidents, that occurred during the last decade, the

accidents at level crossings were about 16%. Accidents at manned level crossings were at

the level of 4% of the total consequential train accidents, whereas unmanned level

crossings accidents shared 12% of mishaps.

India ranks better than many countries in performance of accidents on level crossings,which are reflected below:

Country Level crossing accidentsper million train km.

Deaths per million train km.

France 0.33 0.05


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U.S.A. 2.01 0.25

Japan 0.36 0.10

Russian Federation 0.04 0.01

Holland 1.01 0.28 India 0.10 0.21

* Source _ Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific's Publication entitled

`Evaluation of Cost _ Effective System for Railway Level Crossing Protection -2000'

Accidents at unmanned level crossings occur primarily due to dashing of road vehicles

with the oncoming trains and cause fatality of the road user. A road vehicle driver,

though having the advantage of maneuverability and lesser braking distances and shorter

reaction time as compared to train drivers, fails to maintain the level of alertness,normally expected, while crossing such intersections, where he is supposed to take

necessary precautions as stipulated in the Motor Vehicles Act 1988. It has been observed

that over 85% of all accidents occurring at unmanned level crossings, involved passenger

carrying trains, reflecting that the road vehicle drivers normally misjudge the speed of the

oncoming trains and take chances while crossing the rail track.

On an average, every year, 141 persons died and 158 injured in the accidents occurring at

unmanned level crossings only during the last decade, contributing a share of 37% of the

total fatalities in all accidents. 9% of the total fatalities occurred in manned level crossing

accidents, thus indicating that 46% of train accident fatalities take place at rail-road

intersections only.

However, social awareness and involvement of all parts of society is essential to solve the

problem. Every year, huge demands are received from people and their representatives to

open more and more unmanned level crossings. If all of them are accepted, main railway

arteries will need to be punctured at enormous locations creating acute problems for

passenger carrying trains as well as road vehicle users.

The issue has got another aspect to be considered. Railways share the cost of Road Over

Bridges with the basic purpose of eliminating the busy Level Crossings to improve the


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Railway safety and operations Considering route Kms. and population of level crossings,

there is on an average, a level crossing at every 1.5 kms. which provides an opportunity

to road users to cross the track at railways' cost.

Casualties in Accidents: Ratio of Accidents involving casualties

One measure of severity of an accident is the resultant impact on passengers that the train

carried. On Indian Railways most of the accidents i.e. 73% are generally free of any

casualty. Accidents, attended with casualties, even with one injury, were around 27 % of

the total train accidents that occurred during the last five years. Of 27% accidents, 17.5%

were involving mishaps at unmanned and manned level crossings only. The analysis also

reflects: -

(i) 97 % of accidents at Unmanned level crossings were attended with casualties

(ii) 86% of accidents at manned level crossings were attended with casualties

(iii) 59% of collisions were attended with casualties

(iv) 19% of fire incidents resulted in casualties

(v) 7% of derailments were attended with casualties

On an average, during the last decade, 384 persons died in the consequential train

accidents every year. This consisted of 178 train passengers, 183 "Other Persons

(Primarily road users)" & 23 Railway Staff. 37% of total deaths in all accidents were at

unmanned level crossings. Each year, 38% of total deaths were caused by collisions,

followed by 14%(rounded off) by derailments & 9% by manned level crossing accidents.

Passenger deaths per million passenger kms.

One of the measures to judge Railway safety is the rate of deaths of passengers per

million passenger Kms run on the system. Although the number of fatalities is essentially

fortuitous, the passenger deaths have come down from 0.0003 per million passenger kms

during 1992-93 to 0.0001 death per million passenger kms. during the year 2001-2002.

According to published data, nearly 79000 deaths occurred in 3.9 lakh road accidents in


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India in the year 2000, whereas the yearly average fatalities in train accidents, however,

have been at the level of 384, during the last decade, including deaths at level crossings.

During the last decade (1992-93 to 2001-02), the average yearly cost of damages assessedin various consequential train accidents has been to the tune of about Rs 60 crores. These

include damage to track, rolling stock, signalling gears etc. Indirect costs of accidents are

not accounted for.

Cause-wise analysis of Accidents

Though during the last decade, the consequential train accidents have dropped

substantially, the major cause of train accidents continues to be `human failure', which

consists of "Failure of Railway staff and "failure of other than Railway staff". Accidents

on account of `Railway staff failure' were around 65.35%, while 17.7% accidents

occurred due to "Failure of other than Railway staff". Railway Staff Failures leading to

accidents are shared by maintenance staff (31%), running staff (10.4%), operational staff

(4%) and combination of staff (20%). Accidents at unmanned level crossings occurred

entirely on account of "Failure of other than railway staff" i.e. negligence of road users.

Nearly 9% of the consequential train accidents occurred due to `equipment failure',

primarily contributed by track and rolling stock, 3% of the accidents were contributed by

Sabotage and another 3% were due to incidental reasons like sinkage of track, boulders

falling on track, cattle run over etc.

Safety Performance during 2002-03*

The number of consequential train accidents during the year 2002-03 has come down to

351 as compared to 414 during the year 2001-02, thus reflecting a decline of

approximately 15%. This is also the lowest number of train accidents since 1960-61. Theyear has recorded the lowest number of collisions (16) and derailments (216) since 1960-

61. However, there is an increase in level crossing accidents, rising from 88 in 2001-02 to

97 during the year 2002-03.

* Provisional


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International Comparisons

. An illustrative comparative data for few selected railways may be seen as under:

Railway No. of Accidents per million train kms

Japan Railway Group 0.65*

Germany 0.91*

France 0.84*

Italy 0.73*

Indian Railway 0.55

Note: There may be variations in the definition of accidents.

To have a better appreciation, a sample of the level of density of traffic and the rate of

accidents and passenger fatalities/casualties on Indian Railways vis-à-vis some other

world railways are given in the Annexure `C' and `C-1' which broadly indicate higher

density of traffic and comparative rate of accidents and casualties on Indian Railways.

(*Source : East Japan Railway Co. Year Book 2001-2002)

ANALYSIS OF TRENDS OF ACCIDENTS

Comparative figures of consequential Train accidents in the past ten years

TABLE

Item 96-97

97-98

98-99

99-2000

00-01

01-02

02-03

03-04

04-05 05-06

1.Total No.of ConsequentialTrain Accidents

377 396 397 463 473 414 351 325 234 234


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2. No. of

Passangers’Train Accidents out of 1above

160 175 199 210 261 218 216 214 154 167

3 Goods Train Accidents (out of 1above)

217 221 198 253 212 196 135 111 80 67

4. Total No. ofconsequential trainaccidents permillion trainkilometers

0.56 0.60 0.58 0.65 0.67 0.55 0.44 0.41 0.30 0.28

5.No.ofPassenger Fatalitiesincluding Railwaycrew in seriousTrain Accidents

110 182 295 374 63 99 186 139 55 177

1998

4 April 1998: Eleven people killed near Fatuha station on Howrah-Delhi main lineas Howrah-Danapur Express derails between Fatuha and Bankaghat stations. [1]

24 April 1998: Twenty-four killed and 32 injured at Parali Vaijanath railwaystation in Maharashtra as 15 wagons of a goods train Ram into the Manmad-Kachiguda Express.

Aug 13, 1998: Nineteen killed and 27 injured as a bus rams into the Chennai-Madurai Express train at an unmanned level-crossing on the new Karur-Salem bypass road on the outskirts of Karur town.

Sept 24, 1998: Twenty people, including 14 school children, killed and 33 injuredwhen a train engine rams into an bus at an unmanned level-crossing nearBottalaapalem village in Andhra Pradesh.

Nov 26, 1998: Over 200 people die as Jammu Tawi-Sealdah Express rams intothree derailed bogies of Amritsar-bound Frontier Golden Temple Mail nearLudhiana.

1999


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16 July 1999: Seventeen killed and over 200 injured as the new Delhi-boundGrand Trunk Express from Chennai collides with derailed wagons of a goodstrain near Mathura.

Aug 2, 1999: 268 killed and 359 injured in a collision involving Awadh-AssamExpress and Brahmaputra Mail at Gaisal in North Frontier Railway's Katihardivision.

2006

11 July 2006 – A series of bomb attacks strikes commuter trains in Mumbai,India, killing at least 200.[2]

18 August 2006 two carriages catch fire on the Chennai-Hyderabad Express nearSecundrabad station

9 November 2006 – India- 40 die and 15 injured in a West Bengal rail accident.

20 November 2006 – India- A bomb explodes on a train near Belacoba station inWest Bengal, India, killing 7 and injuring 53. See 2006 West Bengal traindisaster .

[3]

1 December 2006 – Bihar , India - Bhágalpur in the Ganges a portion of the 150-year-old 'Ulta Pul' bridge being dismantled collapsed over a passing train ofIndia's Eastern Railways, killing 35 and injuring 17.[4][5]

2009

13 February 2009 – India- Twelve carriages of the Coromandel Express derails soon after the train left Jajpur Road station near the city of Jajpur in the state ofOrissa.[6] Interestingly, the accident occurred on the day of Railway Budget presentation when Railway Minister Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav boasted aboutincreased safety measures at Indian Railways.

Policy on level crossings: Is manning an ideal solution?

With over 38000 level crossings and complex nature of road traffic, India ranks better

than many advanced countries in safety at level crossings with 0.10 accident per million

train Kms., surpassing France, USA and Japan etc. The Railways are persistently

following the steps to reduce unmanned level crossing accidents and no effort is made to

dilute the gravity and the seriousness of accidents.


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The level crossings are made to facilitate the smooth running of traffic in a regulated

manner governed by specific rules and conditions. As on 31.03.2002, there were 21,792

unmanned and 16,549 manned level crossings on Indian Railway System. At present,

6446 manned level crossings are interlocked and 14502 are provided with telephones.

The primary causes of accidents at unmanned level crossings include failure of road users

in not following provisions of section 131 of Motor Vehicle Act, mis-adventure to cross

level crossings in the face of an approaching train, road vehicles getting stalled at the

locations, rash driving of un-licensed tractor drivers, etc.

In the control and scope of intervention in curbing unmanned level crossing accidents, the

role of Railways is limited and highly constricted as most of them have been found

occuring due to negligence on the part of road vehicle users. The unmanned level

crossings are comparable to road-to-road inter sections spread out in the country. These

inter sections may be on village roads, city roads, state highways or national highways.

There are huge number of inter sections where neither the traffic signal is provided nor

the traffic policeman is positioned. Similar is the case of unmanned level crossings,

where rail and road cross each other. Density of traffic at most of them is not high, or

rather it is low.

. The unmanned level crossings are divided into 5 categories depending on the volume of

road-cum-rail traffic, visibility conditions and plying of buses/motor vehicles.

In 1994, Railways decided to man all unmanned level crossings falling on the routes

where Rajdhani/Shatabdi express trains were running at a speed of 120 KMPH or above.To contain population of unmanned level crossings, it was also decided not to provide

any new unmanned level crossing on existing lines as also not permitting downgradation

or de-manning of existing manned level crossings.


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Indian Railways in 1999, identified 4449 Broad Gauge unmanned level crossings falling

in different categories for manning. 2145 level crossings of them have already been

sanctioned for manning. During the last five years, 490 level crossings have been

manned.

Cost of manning of unmanned level crossings

If all unmanned level crossings are to be manned, Railways require approximately Rs.

2450 crores as Capital cost to man them and approximately Rs. 700 crores per annum

will be required to meet the maintenance and operation cost. The cost of manning with

interlocked signals will be around Rs.5500 crores. However, to eliminate probability of

any accident at manned and unmanned level crossings, construction of Road over bridgesand Road under bridges may be envisaged, but it will involve staggering amount of

Rs.4,00,000 crores.

One of the major factors, yet to be assessed, relates to social costs of manning unguarded

level crossings. Man days lost at closed level crossings and consequential mental and

physical strain, while waiting for opening of gates caused to road vehicle users, are

unexplored areas. Simultaneously, if it is decided to halt or slow down rail traffic, or

puncture rail routes by opening more level crossings, economic and social costs to the

railway system need to be gauged. On one side, persistent demands are made to open

more level crossings, while on the other hand, unlicensed and rash drivers venture into

taking more risks at rail-road intersections.

In the last two decades, the population of road vehicles registered in the country has gone

up from 53.91 lakhs in 1981 to 483.93 lakhs in the year 2000 (about 800% increase).

Similarly, the total train kilometers has risen from 530.9 million in 1982-83 to 756

million in 2001-02 (over 42% increase). ( UMLC = Unmanned Level Crossing)

The problem of accidents at level crossings is a worldwide phenomenon. Railway Safety

Review Committee has observed that: "Judged in terms of number of level crossing

accidents, the safety of the IR is far better than that of even advanced railway systems.


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For instance, in the two years, 1995 and 1996, there were 154 and 166 level crossing

accidents respectively on the French Railways (SNCF), and as many as 231 and 242 level

crossing accidents respectively on the German Railways (DB AG). In comparison, on IR

there were only 68 level crossing accidents in 1995-96 and 63 level crossing accidents in

1996-97. However, we are of the view that by taking suitable action, the number can be

reduced further."

It mainly depends upon the alertness of road users for which Indian Railways take regular

action for educating the road users. The ideal solution lies in a combination of three

elements viz. reduction in unmanned level crossings, selective manning of high density

traffic unmanned level crossings, and creation of higher consciousness in road vehicle

users.

The problems of mobility and accident prevention at level crossings can best be

addressed by joint efforts of all concerned _ Central Government, State Government,

Municipalities, NGOs, educational institutions and private operators etc.

Train Actuated Warning Device (TAWD)

Development of a reliable Train Actuated Warning Device (TAWD) for giving

audio/visual warning to road users about an approaching train has been under process on

IR to reduce accidents at unmanned level crossings.

Although the accidents at unmanned level crossings primarily and largely occurred due to

negligence of road vehicle users in clear violation of Section 131 of Motor Vehicle Act,

Indian Railways have been taking steps to ensure additional safety at these locations.

Some of these measures targeted at safety at unmanned and manned level crossing are as

under:

(i) Proper Road Signs have been provided on approaches to level crossings so that road

vehicle drivers become aware of the existence of a level crossing. To improve their

visibility the signboards are being made of retro-reflective sheets.


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(ii) Road Signs, Speed breakers/rumble strips have been provided on approaches to level

crossings so that road vehicle drivers are reminded to reduce their speed.

(iii) Whistle boards are also provided alongside the rail track on approach to level

crossings from where train drivers continuously whistle.

(iv) Road users have still not got used to faster speeds of Mail/Express trains. A train

traveling at 90 KMPH covers 25 metres per second. Thus, although to the road user the

train appears to be 150 meters away, in terms of time, it is only 6 seconds away. This

message is being conveyed to them by various publicity campaigns.

(v) To educate road drivers about safety at unmanned level crossings, publicity

campaigns are periodically launched through different media like quickies on TV, cinema

slides, posters, radio, newspapers and street plays etc.

(vi) Joint Ambush Checks with civil authorities are conducted to nab errant road vehicle

drivers under the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and the Railways Act,

1989.

(vii) Involvement of village Panchayats is also organized in railways' public awareness

programmes.

(viii) Where the visibility distance is inadequate, speed restrictions for trains are imposed

to allow for longer time interval for road traffic to pass in the face of approaching trains.

(ix) Surprise checks and night inspections are regularly conducted to check the alertness

of gatemen.

(x) Funds received from the `diesel cess' are being used for safety related works

pertaining to level crossings.


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(xi) Manned level crossings having heavy traffic density are being progressively

interlocked with signals on a planned basis.

(xii) Telephones are also being provided at all manned level crossing gates.

(xiii) Lifting barriers are installed in lieu of leaf gates to facilitate simultaneous

closure/opening of gates on both the ends.

(xiv) Every year, some unmanned level crossings are converted into manned level

crossings.

(xv) Anti Collision Device, the latest innovation, will give additional safety shield at

manned and unmanned level crossings, through an audio-visual indication to road users.

Moreover, in case of emergent needs, gatemen at manned level crossings will be able to

reduce the speed of an approaching train to prevent an accident at the crossing.

Replacement of level crossings with road over/under bridges

A level crossing gate with one lakh train vehicle units (a unit obtained by multiplying the

number of trains with road vehicles and is indicative of traffic at the level crossing) or

more qualifies for replacement with ROB/RUBs on cost sharing basis. Railways share

50% cost of the work for two lane wide bridge. Proposals are required to be sponsored by

the State governments/local authorities. As on 31.3.2001, there were 971 Level

Crossings, which qualify for replacement with ROB/RUB on cost sharing basis. Railways

require approximately Rs. 5000 crores of funds to meet the cost of construction of

ROB/RUBs in lieu of these identified 971 level crossings as its share and equal amount is

required to be contributed by the concerned State governments as their share.

Fire in Trains


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The accidents on fire on trains have been drastically reduced by improvement of coaches

through better designs. Wooden bodied coaches are a thing of the past. Fire on trains are

now generally caused by short-circuiting in the wiring of the coaches, inflammable

material left over, specially in luggage and parcel coaches, running on passenger carrying

trains or fire caused in locos. Gradually, fire retarding and fireproof material are being

used extensively in manufacture of coaches. Adoption of fire retardant material for

internal furnishing for wall painting, flooring, rexine, roof paneling etc. has been

reducing the risk of such accidents. In air-conditioned coaches, fire retardant curtains and

upholstery have been adopted. A fireproof coach that can withstand most of the types of

fire accidents is under development.

Accidents involving fire in trains, though small in number, can be disastrous depending

upon nature and intensity of occurrence, hence preventive steps are necessary.

Technology, Operations and Systems Management Program – To provide public

agencies and private sector partners with the tools to effectively manage and improve the

performance of their intermodal transportation systems, ITS America supports the $3 billion

per year Operations and Management program requested by the American Association of

State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). From this amount, the authorization bill should provide at least $1 billion per year to support deployment of ITS technologies and

intermodal integration. ITS and operational strategies should be funded at 100 percent federal

share in order to encourage rapid, effective and low-cost performance improvements and to

support high-priority multimodal initiatives in areas such as urban congestion, rural safety,

climate change, improved transit operations, and more efficient freight corridors, border

crossings, and intermodal connectors. The combined Technology, Operations and Systems

Management program will ensure that adequate funding is available to state and local

agencies through existing formulas to actively manage the intermodal transportation network

to improve public safety, reduce traffic congestion, minimize emissions and environmental

impacts, improve economic productivity, reduce project costs, and optimize the capacity,

energy efficiency, and performance of the transportation system. U.S. DOT should provide

technical assistance, training and deployment support to agencies as they work to integrate

ITS solutions into their planning and operations. Eligible expenditures under the program


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Dr.S

13_chapter-7 to improve indian railways

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