Indian Railways Begins Winter Safety Drive To Address Fog Hazards

New Delhi: To deal with winter season challenges like fog and inclement weather to run safe and smooth train operations, Indian Railways is conducting a safety drive to prevent any untoward incident during foggy weather.

Indian Railways authorities said all the concerned officials and departments are instructed to ensure proper preparations and take safety measures to tackle foggy days. For this, proper training and utilisation of fog signalmen, proper knowledge of station staff to work in thick foggy weather, and an adequate number of reliable Fog Safe Devices will be ensured at the crew lobby with proper direction-wise mapping of signals and other locations.

Explaining about the winter safety drive, Shashikant Tripathi, chief public relations officer, North Central Railways, told ETV Bharat, “Winter safety drill is being conducted at different concerned departments to deal with coming foggy days, following which the authority has been counselling loco pilots, assistant loco pilots, guards, trackmen, signalling staff, and station staff.”

He added, “It is noticed that during winter, dense fog creates various issues and hindres smooth train operations. In the extreme cold, tracks change their characteristics, following which sometimes they get cracks, so track maintenance departments have to keep monitoring them properly, and during the counselling LPs and ALPs are given instructions to follow train speeds as per norms and monitoring signals to proceed ahead."

Northern zone measures

Talking about the safety issue, Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, CPRO, Northern Railways, said, “Northern zone has already started winter safety drive to run trains safely. During the drive, LPs and ALPs are given counseling and trained to run trains in the Modified Automatic Signaling System (MASS) in which in a block section only two trains are allowed to run. However, more trains can be run in the normal condition of an Automatic Block Signal."

According to the railway, a three-month-long safety drive on "Precautions during foggy & inclement weather" will be conducted till January 31, involving officers and supervisors of all departments and all grades as a safety measure to prevent any untoward incident during foggy weather.

Proper nomination, training and utilisation of fog signalmen, proper knowledge of Station staff to work in thick foggy weather, and Visibility Test Object (VTO) at stations are to be ensured. If the prescribed VTO is not visible from a distance of not less than 180 meters, the station master will act as per the procedure laid down in SR 3.61. Incidence of Foggy weather impairing the visibility of signals shall be reported to the Section Controller, East Coast Railway officials stated.

The department will ensure the availability of retro-reflective Sigma board before stop signals, and availability of Retro-reflective number plates and other warning boards like DJ open, DJ close, coasting, and danger boards, ECoR added.

Instructions for LPS and ALPs

LPs and ALPs are being counselled for an adequate number of reliable Fog Safe Devices to be ensured at the crew lobby with proper direction-wise mapping of signal and other locations, proper focusing of head lights, and functioning of wipers of locos to be ensured. It is important that cautious speeds observed by the Loco Pilots during foggy weather and loss of time thereto are to be clearly understood by all concerned. The loco pilot shall take action with respect to the speed of the train during fog.

• During fog, when the loco pilot in his judgment feels that visibility is restricted due to fog, he/she shall run at a speed at which he can control the train to be prepared to stop short of any obstruction. This speed shall in any case not be more than 75 kmph.
  
• Loco pilots whistle frequently to warn the gate man (where provided) and road users of an approaching train at a level crossing.
  
• In the Absolute Block System of working, the speed should not exceed the norms.

The TMR of a train shall watch if the Loco Pilot does not exceed the prescribed speed limit during fog. By night, as well as in thick foggy or tempestuous weather impairing visibility during the day, a Red Tail Lamp of approved design displaying a flashing Red Light to indicate the last vehicle check device should be provided and lit on the last vehicle as per provisions.

The engineering staff are being counselled that trimming of Tree branches, cutting of bushes and unwanted vegetation on the cess so that these do not impair the visibility of Signals, Caution Boards, Hectometer posts and other Engineering Boards and structures, introduction of cold weather patrolling in rail fracture-prone locations & other locations as per norms. The fish bolt hole should be properly chamfered and ensure the availability of a chamfering kit, it said.

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