Indian Railways – Train Accidents: In an important step to avoid train collisions, Railway Board Chairman Satish Kumar has written to the general managers of all 17 zones asking them to monitor technical reports generated by a device called data logger on a daily basis.

Data logger is fitted at stations and it records real time data of all aspects of train operations as well as the signal system. It generates an exception report in case a station master fails to take steps to ensure that a train does not come on the same track already occupied by another train.

“During the safety review meeting held on 06.09.2024, I had instructed to all Zonal Railways that the data logger exception report should be monitored by DRMs (Divisional Railway Managers) every day and the position for previous day from two/three Divisions will be randomly reviewed at Board level,” Kumar said in a letter dated September 13 addressed to the general managers of all zones.

“On 10.09.2024, six Divisions were asked by ED/E&R (Executive Director, Efficiency & Research) to share the position. Position was received from three Divisions; position was not received from two Divisions and position of the previous week was received from one Division,” he added.

Expressing concern over the lack of compliance of a crucial safety instruction, Kumar said, “As this is an important measure for ensuring safety, all GMs have to ensure that the data logger report is monitored on a daily basis by all divisions in their zones.”

Kumar added that the Railway Board may ask two to three divisions randomly to share the original printout of data logger report even if there is no exception report along with analysis and remarks in each case.

The issue pertains to a General Rule np. 3.38(2) related to operational safety which ensures that two trains do not come on the same track one after the other.

“A single rail line branches into several loop lines and a main line at any station. Now, if one branch line, let’s say a loop line number 1, is occupied by a train, the signal aspect for another train for that particular loop line will be red so that the another train doesn’t come on that line,” K P Arya, who retired as Chief Signal and Telecom Engineer/Information Technology, Northern Railway, said.

“But if by mistake the loco pilot jumps the red light, he or she can hit the stationed train resulting in an accident. To avoid such a situation, a norm has been made that after receiving the train on a loop line, the station master will change the interlocking point to another line which is free so that in case the loco pilot errs, it doesn’t result in a collision,” he added.

According to Arya, if the station master fails to change the interlocking point towards a free line, the data logger records it and generates an exception report.

In two recent cases of train collisions, one in Andhra Pradesh in October 2023 and another one in West Bengal in June 2024, the Commissioner of Railway Safety reports in both cases observed that data loggers report showed that violations of safety norms happened multiple times before the accidents but the concerned senior railway officials of the division failed to take note of it.

Railways experts say that it is a good move by the Railway Board chairman to ensure monitoring of data logger reports which will help rectify the mistakes before they would result into accidents.