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. 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 staffs who position themselves on either side of a track when a train rolls into a station. They watch out for defective parts by visually assessing the condition of each part below the coach.
Track-side diagnostic equipment use a combination of high-speed infrared cameras and high-speed digital cameras to take photographs of the parts of the trains, bogies and under slung equipment and relay them to the train examiner for analysis.
Thermal and optical imaging systems also identify hot wheels, hot bearings and hot brake discs due to any malfunction. These systems can check the health of wheels, brake discs and bearings at full running speed of the train and thus increase operational safety and reliability by flagging unsafe conditions well in time.
The system is capable of working in rain, fog and in extremely hot and cold temperatures and data captured by it shall be used to improve quality and accuracy of safety inspections.
