South Central Railway (SCR) has taken another step towards digitising its operations and making work more comfortable for its loco-pilots by introducing Android-based tabs (tablet PCs) and also reducing their workload by taking up a Common Mini Line Box (CMLB) system.
Loco-pilots undergo vigorous training on technical and safety aspects like signalling, troubleshooting of electric and diesel engines, track conditions, speed restrictions, apart from learning good driving skills and so on. They carry reference books about rules, manual on engines, safety and accident protocols, log book on the work being done etc., explained senior railway officials.
However, these are ‘heavy manuals’ weighing upto 10 kg or more. Light weight Tablet PCs would give them access to all manuals including any modifications being made as they are automatically updated for all tab users whenever they come into the purview of crew lobby Wi-Fi zone.
SCR officials informed that an e-journal is also being incorporated in the tabs for entering loco-pilots’ data, which they otherwise used to write manually. Drivers working in mail, express and passenger trains of Vijayawada Division have been supplied with the tablet PCs and given that the response has been positive, it would be expanded to other zones too.
Loco-pilots also carry a personal equipment box with all essential tool kit, protection and communication equipment required for regular working. These boxes are loaded and unloaded from locomotive at the time of commencement and completion of duty.
Instead of doing the laborious process of changing huge number of line boxes, the CMLB is a single box introduced in all six divisions that are lighter and smaller. Those are loaded at first zonal crew change point and remain in the engine till next zonal crew change point. With this, the need for ‘box boys’ for loading/unloading has been eliminated, saving up to ₹1 crore per annum.
Hailing the “innovations in the railways set up”, SCR General Manager Gajanan Mallya said the next step would be to provide air conditioning in locomotives.
