STRESS FACTORS FOR INDIAN RAILWAYS

23.10.2024

STRESS FACTORS FOR INDIAN RAILWAYS

Context:

On October 17, eight coaches of the Agartala-Lokmanya Tilak Express derailed in Assam. On October 11, a passenger train rear-ended a stationary goods train near Chennai. Indian trains have been involved in multiple accidents of late.

Key Point

• The Balasore accident on June 2, 2023, had the greatest death toll, more than 275, yet pressure on the Railways to improve safety competes with pressures straining its subsistence.

Frequency of Railway Accidents:

• Accidents have reduced from 1,390 per year in the 1960s to 80 per year in the last decade.
• There were still 34 consequential accidents in 2021-2022, 48 in 2022-23, and 40 in 2023-2024. A consequential accident injures and/or kills people, damages railway infrastructure, and disrupts rail traffic.
• 8% of all accidents involving trains have been due to the failure of Railway staff and another 28.4% due to failures on the part of non-staff people. Equipment failure accounted for 6.2%.

Key facts the about ‘Kavach’ – Automatic Train Protection System:

• It is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system.
• Kavach was developed by the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) under Indian Railway (IR) in collaboration with Medha Servo Drives Pvt Ltd, HBL Power Systems Ltd and Kernex Microsystems.
• It is a set of electronic devices and Radio Frequency Identification devices installed in locomotives, in the signalling system as well the tracks, that talk to each other using ultra-high radio frequencies to control the brakes of trains and also alert drivers, all based on the logic programmed into them.
• Since 2016, the railways have been carrying out field tests for Kavach on passenger trains.

• The ‘Kavach’ system is designed to prevent collisions using devices that allow pilots to track the relative location of their vehicles and which can actuate alarms and automated braking protocols.
• By February 2024, the Railways had installed ‘Kavach’ on 1,465 route km, or 2% of its total route length.

Railway Operating Ratio (OR):

• The operating ratio (OR) — the amount the Railways spends to earn ₹100 — in 2024-2025 is estimated to be ₹98.2, a small improvement from 2023-2024 (₹98.7) but a decline from ₹97.8 in 2016.
• Higher OR limits capex and increases dependence on budgetary support and Extra-Budgetary Resources (EBRs).
• In 2016-2017, the government brought the railway budget under the regular budget. One outcome was easier access for the Railways to gross budgetary support.

Freight Services and Congestion:

• The Railways’ two main internal revenue sources are passenger services and freight. Freight contributes 65% of Railway revenue. Freight rates increased faster than passenger rates in 2009-2019.
• 30% of the railway network operates over 100% capacity, leading to slow freight movement (~26 km/hr in 2016).
• Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs): Eastern DFC fully operational; the western DFC is partly ready; the east coast, east-west sub-corridor, and north-south sub-corridor DFCs are still in planning.
• Coal accounts for 45% of volume and 50% of freight revenue, but government emphasis on renewable energy may reduce this.
• The Railways’ freight profit is offset significantly by passenger losses.
• More expensive AC coaches are being introduced to boost revenue, while fare rationalization last occurred in 2020.

Railways’ Safety and Capacity Challenges:

• Railways is caught between being an affordable transport provider and a profitable business.
• Losses compounded by rising wage, pension, and fuel costs.
• High network congestion limits safety upgrades and adds to the stress of locomotive pilots working 12-hour shifts.
• The Kavach system and other indigenous safety systems have limited utility in heavily congested zones.
• In sum, the Railways’ inability to generate revenue to plug gaps in the gross budgetary support, burgeoning demands on its revenue receipts, and growing pressure to ease congestion and improve physical capacity mean it’s constantly playing catch-up.

                                                                       Source: The Hindu

Consider the following statements regarding ‘Kavach’ – Automatic Train Protection System:

1)It is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system.

2)It was developed by the Medha Servo Drives Pvt Ltd under Indian Railway (IR).

3)Since 2018, the railways have been carrying out field tests for Kavach on passenger trains.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

A.Only one

B.Only two

C.All three

D.None

Answer A