RAILWAYS UNDERTAKING SEVERAL MEASURES FOR SAFETY OF RAILWAY TRACKS

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Indian Railways have been undertaking several steps to improve safety of Railway tracks. Repair and maintenance of Railway tracks is a continuous on-going process for the Railways. For ensuring safety of traffic, track is inspected regularly and corrective action taken promptly wherever required. Track renewals are also undertaken depending upon the need of renewal and availability of funds. The following further steps have been taken to improve the safety.

1. A non-lapsable Special Railway Safety Fund of Rs.17,000/- crore has been set up for renewal of over-aged assets and for safety enhancement works which also covers track renewal.
2. There has been progressive increase in use of Tie Tamping and Ballast Cleaning Machines for track maintenance. Track Renewal Trains are also being used. This gives superior track geometry.
3. For monitoring track geometry and running characteristics of the track, sophisticated track recording cars, oscillograph cars and portable accelerometers are being used progressively.
4. For detection of hidden flaws in rail/welds, adequate number of Ultra Sonic Flaw Detectors have been procured. Self Propelled Ultrasonic Rail Testing Cars are being procured.
5. At the Rail Rolling Mill at Bhilai, online Ultrasonic Flaw Detection (USFD) and eddy current testing is being done to weed out rails with defects, Vacuum degassing is being done to reduce hydrogen content and thus improve quality of rails. Indian Railways and Bhilai Steel Plant of Steel Authority of India Limited are also planning together to produce longer rails i.e. 26 metre and 65 or 78 metre, instead of conventional 13 metre length to reduce number of welds in the track.
6. Periodical Safety Audit of different divisions by inter-disciplinary teams from Zonal Headquarters is being conducted.
7. Security patrolling of track is organized whenever there is threat perception to safety of track from anti social element.
8. Monsoon/Winter/Hot weather patrolling is organized to watch the vulnerable locations.
   

This information was given by Shri Bandaru Dattatraya Minister of State for Railways in a written reply to a question by Shrimati Savita Sharda in the Rajya Sabha today.