Railways to install ACD over entire broad gauge network

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

New Delhi, Sep 17 (UNI) The Anti-Collision Device (ACD) -- 'Suraksha Kavach' -- developed by Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL), would be installed over the entire broad gauge network of the Railways by 2013-14, a ministry official said today.

Abot 57000 anti-collision devices would be required to be installed over the broad gauge network to greatly minimise the chances of train accidents, he said.

So far about 2,300 ACDs have been supplied by KRCL in association with the Hyderabad-based Kernex Microsystems (India) Ltd during the last three years.

He said installation of ACDs on the Katihar-New jalpaiguri-Guwahati-Tinsukia-Dibrugarh-Ledo section of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) had been completed and was operational.

''Survey for expanding the system to another 10,000 route kilometres falling on the critical and busy sections of the network is almost complete,'' he pointed out.

The installation of this device will go a long way in preventing accidents due to collision, which is more fatal in nature. The application of this device has been refined not only to prevent mid- section collisions but also to pre-empt their occurrences in station yards.

The newly engineered solution is integrated with the signalling systems and interlocking to react appropriately in case collision- like conditions are perceived at the time of reception and dispatch of trains from a station.

The ACD device transmits electronic signals and warns an incoming train in the vicinity about another train's presence by picking up signals emitted. If the trains are on a collision course within a three-km distance, both the trains apply brakes automatically.

Kernex Microsystems Indian Ltd has been granted an exclusive licence from Konkan Railway to manufacture the ACDs.

ACD towers have been erected at 185 railway stations and 223 locomotives have already been fitted with ACD equipment.

Despite the phenomenal increase in traffic, the number of consequential train accidents has come down from 464 in 2000-01 to 234 in 2005-06, a reduction of almost 50 per cent.

In 2006-07, the number of accidents further came down to 195, which is lowest ever since the sixties.

UNI

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