Indian Railways: Tech for cutting down the flab
The Indian Railways—the 1.4-million strong behemoth—has over 7,000 freight trains originating daily on its 65,000-km-long network. Keeping the 58-wagon train intact on the run is crucial to IR’s safety, for which the guard who rides on the last vehicle (the guard van), or in railway parlance the brake van, plays a significant role.
He is required to exchange signals with the station master (SM) when passing through a station by displaying a green flag in the day, or a green light at night, establishing that his train is intact. This allows the SM to clear the section and allow the next train to enter it, essential to avoid any mid-section collision with a parted load accidentally left behind on the section.
In case of a mid-section mishap such as derailment or collision, the guard is also required to protect the train at the rear by displaying a red flag or placing detonators on the track in case the weather is foggy and visibility is poor, for alerting the driver of an oncoming train on the other line on a double-line section.
Taking into account leave reserve and home rest mandatory under the HER (Hours of Employment Regulations), over 20,000 guards are required to man these brake vans. Now, a Last Vehicle Device (LVD) also known as the End of Train Telemetry (EOTT) being proposed by the Railway Board intends to eliminate these, but only on freight trains.
Consisting of a gadget that is placed on the coupler of the last wagon, it has a red flashing light that indicates to the SM that the train passing through his station is intact, enabling him to clear the section for another train.
