Rlys installing new system to detect faulty parts of trains

Aiming to ensure greater passenger safety and smooth train operations, Railways is installing a state-of-the-art system along the sides of tracks for detection of faults and defective parts in coaches, wagons and locomotives.

This track-side equipment can detect overheated bearings, wheels and brake discs in trains and help staff take fast decisions as to whether or not the train is safe to run.

Faulty parts of rolling stock are a major cause behind train accidents and that is why the track-side system is to be installed at 10 locations near some stations at an estimated cost of Rs 73 crore in the first phase.

Equipped with high-speed infrared and digital cameras, the device will also detect loose, hanging and damaged parts of rolling stock which can lead to accidents if not detected in time, said a senior Railway Ministry official.

‘As a pilot project, we will begin the installation of the track-side equipment near a railway station shortly and it is to cost Rs 7.3 crore,’ he said.

At present, train examination at the station is done physically by railway staff who position themselves on either side of a track when a train rolls into a station.