Following a head-on collision of two goods trains at Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh, the Railway Board has issued a directive to the Indian Railways to carry out an intensive investigation and safety campaign across the country to prevent such accidents. In its order issued to the Zonal Railways, the board gave clear instructions that the goods trains should run according to the fixed norms of rail safety.

A senior Railway Board official said that the instructions have been issued last week. Indian Railways has directed senior officers of the Railway Board, Zonal Railways, and Divisions to conduct vigilance raids at various sections, lobbies, maintenance centers, workplaces, etc. to prevent derailments, Signal Passing at Danger (SPAD), and other types of accidents.

The safe operation and maintenance standards laid down by the Railways should be strictly implemented. Apart from this, orders have been given to conduct a thorough review of the operational system. Abnormal Occurrences Assistant Loco Pilots Emphasis has been laid on following the rules of the signal and braking system. For this, the responsibility of Chief Loco Inspectors has been fixed.

Section-lobby maintenance center and officers should inspect the operation, maintenance, and working practices including adherence to railway speed restrictions, counseling of operators of track machines-tower wagons, worksite safety, measures to prevent short-cuts, etc. They have been ordered to do duty in the workplace.

Railway sources said defects have been detected in the braking system of bogie-mounted back system (BMBS) coaches of German technology of goods trains. Railway’s research institute RDSO-Lucknow pointed this out last year. An expert committee was constituted by the Railways. This committee admitted that there is a defect in the braking system in the goods train with BMBS coaches. Therefore, goods trains should be run by mixing 50 percent BMBS and the remaining other coaches.

Along with this, goods trains need to run at a speed less than the restricted 50 km per hour on the railway section with a maximum speed of 65 km per hour. If the goods train does not stop at the red signal after applying brakes, then the loco pilot should try to stop the goods train by applying the emergency brake. The Railway Board had also issued orders to follow the instructions of the committee for running goods trains.