Konkan railway gears up to tackle emergency during monsoon

Karwar: With monsoon set to arrive, the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) has completed safety works from Kolad in Maharashtra to Thokur near Mangaluru to tackle emergency situations during the rainy season. As per the provisions of the Indian Railway Permanent Way Manual, it will conduct monsoon patrolling to ensure safety along the tracks.
In a statement, Sudha Krishnamurthy, PRO, KRCL, said about 950 personnel would patrol the tracks from Kolad to Thokur all through the monsoon. "There would also be a round-the-clock patrolling at vulnerable locations and watchmen would be stationed at critical locations round-the-clock. Speed restrictions would also be imposed at vulnerable locations," Sudha said, adding that loco pilots have been instructed to run trains at a speed of 40kmph during heavy rainfall and whenever there is poor visibility.
BRN-mounted excavators have been kept ready at nominated points for quick movement in case of any emergency, she added.
Nominated trains operating between Kolad and Thokur during the nighttime would be foot-plated during monsoon. Self-propelled Accident Relief Medical Vans are also kept ready at Ratnagiri and Verna (Goa) along with the Accident Relief Train. They have been provided with satellite phones.
Mobile phones have been provided to loco pilots, station masters and other field officials, including executives of various departments. Both loco pilots and guards of trains have been provided with walkie-talkie sets, besides equipping all stations with a 25 Watt VHF base station to ensure wireless communication between the train crew and station master.
Emergency Communication sockets have been provided at a distance of average 1km along the route to enable staff on the field to contact station masters and train controllers during emergency situations. LED signals are also being installed in a phased manner for improving signal visibility at difficult locations. Control rooms at Belapur, Ratnagiri and Madgaon will work 24x7 during monsoon. Passengers can check trains status on www.konkanrailway.com or dial 139 or toll-free number 18002331332, the release said.