Southern Railway has decided to extend the Train Protection Warning System (TPWS) on the 68-km Beach-Arakkonam section.
TPWS is currently installed at the Madras Beach-Central-Gummidipoondi EMU sector.
Official sources say that the Railway Board has sanctioned $500,000 (Rs 27 crore) for the project.
With accidents happening very often, Indian Railways has decided to install the warning systems and collision device on trains.
The year 2012 is also marked as ‘year of safety’ by Indian Railways.
The new system will ensures that drivers are prepared for unexpected changes in conditions, are travelling at the correct speed, and are prevented from accidentally passing a red signal.
TPWS is the state-of-the-art European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS-Level 1) technology help regulate speed of trains and, in dire cases, even activate emergency braking systems automatically in case of failure of the pilot to heed warning signs.
After the system is installed, it will connect 400 signals on the Beach-Arakkonam route.
S. Manohar, Chief Signal and Telecom Engineer, Southern Railway, said:
“We are in the final phase of resolving these issues and customising the technology to suit Indian conditions. We expect to put in place a much better integrated signal system shortly.”
Currently, the TPWS is installed on the 50 route Kms and 84 EMU coaches of Chennai suburban railways system operated by Southern Railway connecting 150 signals.
It will also be installed on the 190 km route and 35 locos between Delhi and Agra in North Central Railway zone.
The system facilitates running trains at maximum permitted speeds and allows EMU drivers to slow down to stipulated speeds instead of stopping at a red signal.
At present, only 3% of the routes on the Railways are covered by automatic signal systems.
