Rajya Sabha hears on increasing speed of premium trains

New Delhi, July 20: Speeds of train services operating on Indian Railways, including those of Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express services are dependent inter-alia on factors such as the maximum permissible speed of the section, type of coaches, capacity utilization of sections en route, signaling and interlocking systems, etc. At present, all the Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express services are being operated at the maximum permissible speeds of the sections en route. Speeding up of express trains, including Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express services, is a constant endeavor and continuous process on Indian Railways.

 

While giving information in Rajya Sabha, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal said that in its constant endeavor to provide more comfortable and safer journeys to the traveling passengers, Indian Railways operate almost all Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express services with LHB rakes which have better speed potential and safety features. The superior design of LHB rakes provides enhanced safety in case of derailment or accidents.

Besides, systems are in place to ensure that train coaches are given stipulated maintenance schedules and unsafe coaches are not allowed in passenger train service. Railways are Implementing Automatic Train Protection (ATP) Systems in selected sections. These systems have the facility of displaying movement authority in front of the Loco Pilot in the cab. This helps Loco Pilot to run the train confidently even during impaired visibility. The types of ATP systems working and those in- progress are:-

Train Protection and Warning System: Train Protection and Warning System(TPWS) based on European Technology ETCS Level-1 has been provided on 345 RKMs (Route Kilo Meters) on Indian Railways.

Auxiliary Warning System (AWS): An ATP called Auxiliary Warning System (AWS) is presently functional on 413 RKMs in the Mumbai suburban sections of Central Railway (289 RKMs) and Western Railway (124RKMS).

Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS): TCAS is an Automatic Train Protection System being developed in association with 3 Indian manufacturers. The system has been installed on Lingampalli-Vikrabad-Wadi, Vikrabad-Bidar section (250 RKMs) on SCR. Product of all the 3 firms has been approved by RDSO for developmental orders for speeds up to 110 kmph in Absolute Block Sections.