The railway sector has undergone some significant reforms in the past decade, having centred its focus on modernising rail infrastructure and improving operational safety. As a result, the number of consequential train derailments has seen a drastic decline of almost 80 per cent between 2004-14 and 2014-23. Similarly, the average number of consequential train accidents during 2014-23 was 70.9 per annum, 59 per cent lower than the accidents during 2004-14. This transformation has been supported by extended budgetary support in the form of the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK), which allocates funds for the replacement, renewal and upgradation of critical safety assets. The reserve fund was introduced in 2017-18 with a corpus of Rs 1 trillion for five years. At the end of the period in 2021-22, a gross expenditure of Rs 1.08 trillion had been incurred on RRSK works. In 2022-23, the government extended RRSK’s currency for another five-year period with a gross budgetary support of Rs 450 billion. Moreover, various specific interventions are being made to enhance the safety conditions. These include the adoption of advanced signalling and telecommunication (S&T) systems, deployment of Kavach, shutting down of level crossing (LC) gates, and many other technological advancements.
Upgradation of S&T systems
The Ministry of Railways (MoR) has urged all zonal railways to adopt advanced S&T works as part of railway projects. It has allocated funds of Rs 41.98 billion for S&T works in the budget estimates (BE) for 2023-24. This forms 1.74 per cent of the ministry’s total budget and is 7.2 per cent higher than the allocation in the revised budget for 2022-23. These funds are meant for setting up automatic block signalling, which would increase the capacity of railway lines to run more trains on existing routes; electronic interlocking systems, which would eliminate accidents due to human failure; and other emerging SRT technologies.
Signalling
As of October 2023, around 4,111 route km (rkm) of railway tracks have been equipped with automatic block signalling and 6,498 stations have been provided with electronic interlocking systems. The provision of an electronic interlocking system worth Rs 2.19 billion was sanctioned for the Yesvantpur-Arsikere Rail Section Project on December 19, 2023. This rail link spans over 165.86 km in Karnataka.
The advanced signalling system used for the Japanese Shinkansen trains is also planned to be deployed in the undersea rail tunnel at Thane Creek, which is part of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor (MAHSR). This involves primary train detection through coded digital audio frequency track circuits, and secondary detection through analog axle counters. The cables used for the system will be filled with high quality gas for the first time. A cable gas pressure monitoring system will be used for quick detection of cable cracks or breakages. Furthermore, a tamper-proof signalling system based on blockchain technology is being developed by IIT Kharagpur. This system will track the live movement of trains, which will be available to station masters, section controllers, signal engineers and others with access to all logs. It will be integrated with the existing data logger.
Telecommunications
Technologically advanced communication systems are being developed to enhance passenger safety and security. IR plans to adopt a facial recognition system at major stations, such as Patna Junction in the Danapur division of East Central Railway. The system will be equipped with artificial intelligence (AI), linked to an existing database with records of criminal activities taking place within and around the railway station premises. IR has identified approximately 200 stations for comprehensive security enhancement.
Additionally, the zonal railways are developing a railway driver assistance system that will be able to identify the alertness of drivers. This advanced crash avoidance system is an AI-enabled vigilance control device that alerts drivers if they are distracted for a long time, and applies emergency brakes. In a related development, National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited plans to deploy this system for MAHSR, integrated with its operational control centre. Railway stations are also being equipped with Wi-Fi and CCTV surveillance facilities to further ramp up safety. Currently, 6,108 stations provide free high speed Wi-Fi services and 743 stations are equipped with CCTV cameras.
Development of Kavach
The indigenously developed automatic train protection system, Kavach is being widely adopted across various railway routes. Developed by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation, MoR, Kavach aids a loco pilot in keeping the train within specified speed limits through the automatic application of brakes. To effectively implement this system, Rs 7.1 billion has been allocated for financial year 2023-24, and a target of covering 5,000 rkm by 2026 has been set by IR. As of November 2023, around 1,465 rkm and 139 locomotives on South Central Railway have been equipped with Kavach. These efforts are being further boosted by the entry of new original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the sector. Recently, Siemens AG, Germany, and Kyosan Electric Manufacturing Company Limited, Japan, were approved for participation in the deployment of the system, while previously Medha Servo Drives Private Limited, HBL Power Systems Limited, and Kernex Microsystems India Limited were the only OEMs executing these works.
Western Railway plans to complete the deployment of Kavach on the Mumbai-Ratlam route by June 2024, which spans 735 km with three sections. It will be deployed on 90 locomotives. The Delhi-Mumbai corridor is planned to be fully equipped with Kavach by 2025.
Elimination of LC
In August 2023, the MoR had announced that no LC would be planned for new railway projects, and any crossings already approved for ongoing projects would have to be removed. To this end, the zonal railways are preparing detailed project reports. As of October 2023, a total of 24 level crossing (LC) gates have been shut down at the zonal level, – five in Mumbai, seven in Bhusawal, six in Nagpur, and six in Pune. Further, an interlocking facility has been provided at 11,137 LC gates across various stations. Moreover, road overbridges (RoBs) and road underbridges (RuBs) are planned to be incorporated wherever the terrain allows for construction without significant elevation changes. In the budget estimates for 2023-24, Rs 7 billion has been allocated for LC works, and Rs 74 billion for the construction of RoBs and RuBs.
Other safety-enabling technologies
BPAC system
The block proving by axle counter (BPAC) system is critical for maintaining the safety of train operations. It examines and clears the last vehicle at a rail section before authorising another train to enter. It does so by counting the number of axles of wheels of train coaches passing in a particular section. In November 2023, the Central Railway commissioned a BPAC system for the Vasind-Asangaon railway section in Mumbai. It had previously been deployed up to Vasind railway station within the Kalyan-Igatpuri section.
RTIS
The real-time train information system (RTIS) is an indigenously developed, automatic train tracking system. This internet of things-based system is linked to the National Train Enquiry System and control office application system, and helps track the location and speed of locomotives and trains in real time. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Centre for Railway Information System, the MoR and the Indian Space Application Centre for the development and implementation of SatCom- and SatNav-based RTIS. As of December 13, 2023, RTIS has been installed on a total of 8,700 locomotives, which is a significant share (60 per cent) of the total 14,000 locomotives in operation.
IDS
The intrusion detection system (IDS) is a new digital solution. It is an AI-enabled surveillance mechanism aimed at increasing safety in elephant corridors to prevent elephant deaths due to train hits. It is being developed by Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR). In March 2023, the NFR signed an MoU with RailTel Corporation of India Limited for the installation of IDS on railway networks.
Future plans and way forward
Safety is an integral part of the vision of making IR future-ready. This is not far from sight, with the holistic initiatives chalked out in the National Rail Plan 2030. Under this, an investment of Rs 500 billion has been earmarked for the modernisation of the signalling systems. the MoR plans to deploy electronic signalling systems along its network over the next six years to avoid train accidents. These efforts will entail investments to the tune of Rs 1 trillion. To this end, several infrastructure projects, including railway signalling, will be financed till 2028 as per an MoU signed between Rural Electrification Corporation Limited and RailTel in November 2023. These projects will also implement the Kavach system. Other plans include equipping 50 per cent of rail tracks with a long-term evolution-based high speed communications network, replacing Integral Coach Factory coaches with superior Linke Hofmann Busch coaches for rolling stocks, incorporating an early earthquake detection system, and implementing rail temperature monitoring and wind monitoring.
Shubhangi Goswami
