ECoR to cope with foggy weather in winter

OST Business Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Nov 26:

The East Coast Railway (ECoR) has geared up its manpower to cope with the dense fog during night and early morning at various railway sections during winter this year.

As part of safety measures, the drivers have been instructed to regulate train speed depending on visibility conditions for the safety of passengers and train movement.

Apart from this, several precautions have also been taken and train running staff are being counselled by the railway officers and safety counsellors to cope with the situations.

In areas prone to dense fog, luminous and fluorescent strips have been painted in Overhead Equipment (OHE) masts, level crossings and at busy traffic areas before an approaching ‘Stop Signal’ to warn the loco pilot that the train is approaching a stop signal and running in sensitive areas.

The provision of this device has been of great help to the loco pilots who now can spot these luminous strips even during fog and get extra careful regarding the aspect of the approaching signal.

The Safety department of ECoR headquarters has given instructions to accord highest priority for safe train running during foggy weather.

The loco pilots and guards have been instructed to ensure that they should put the safety of the passengers at the top and should run trains at such reduced speed in foggy weather as they feel confident and comfortable, even if it means loss of punctuality to the train.

In automatic signal territory, the maximum speed of a train is restricted to 30 kmph while in absolute block territory the speed is restricted to 60 kmph in dense fog.

Depending on the severity of fog, the driver is expected to control the speed of the train and restrict it further if necessary.

The guards of the trains have been advised and instructed to watch that, the loco-pilot does not exceed the prescribed speed limit during fog. During night and in the thick foggy or tempestuous weather impairing visibility during day, a red tail lamp of approved design displaying a flashing red light to indicate last vehicle check and device should be lit on the last vehicle as per provisions.

The loco pilots have also been advised to whistle frequently to warn the nearby gate man and road users of approaching train.

Besides, the guards have also been advised to use flasher lamps during day time also during fog.

The station managers have been provided with adequate detonators and have been advised to assess whether visibility is impaired badly enough to warrant the use of detonators.

The railway staff posted at stations, cabins and gates have also been instructed to place detonators whenever there is thick fog to warn the loco pilots according to laid down rules and regulations.