Railways fail to install fog safety devices this year too

NEW DELHI: Despite the same problems cropping up every year, lessons have not been learnt. As three lakh passengers from NCR bore the brunt of yet another delay due to fog, Northern Railway was again caught off guard. Though the Delhi division had announced a host of measures last year to help stranded passengers, the most important among them being \"updated information on running of trains\", little has been achieved on ground. If passengers are to be believed, nothing could be further from the truth.



\"The helpline numbers were flashed on the television screen. As I was scheduled to board the Mumbai Rajdhani I called on these numbers. Each time I tried, I could not get through as all the lines were engaged. I called up 139 and a recorded voice told me that the train had been diverted from the Kota-Ratlam route. It was only in the third attempt that I could talk to a customer-care executive who informed me that the train had been delayed but could not provide me with the exact details,\" said Sudha Chauhan, a bank officer from Mayur Vihar.



Sources in Northern Railway said though the Delhi division of railways has already announced installation of about 500 fog safety devices in trains which alerts drivers about approaching signals during poor visibility, it seems unlikely that any of them will be fitted this season.



\"We do not think the devices will be fitted this year. The matter is pending with RDSO and Baroda House (Northern railway headquarters) is closely monitoring the situation,\" said Ashwini Lohani, DRM (Delhi division).



The fog-pass equipment, which is based on GPS technology, gives audio and visual warning to drivers when they are 600 metres behind the signal or other objects.



Meanwhile, the crucial fog vision instrument being developed by IIT Kanpur for the railways has also not been successful due to technical problems.
News From: http://www.7StarNews.com