Konkan Railway gears up for rainy season

As the monsoon has almost arrived in the Konkan region, Konkan Railway too has completed all its planned safety works.

It is geared up to face the monsoon on its route from Kolad (after Roha station of Central Railway) to Thokur (before Mangaluru Railway station).

A press release by L K Verma, the chief public relation officer, said special emphasis has been laid to catch water drain cleaning and inspection of cuttings.

As a result of the large scale geo-safety works executed along the railway line in last 10 to 12 years, the incidence of boulder fall and soil slip has significantly reduced, thus ensuring safe running of trains. There has been no major disruption of train services on account of boulder fall in monsoon in last five years, he clarified.

Round-the-clock

The Konkan Railway Corporation will conduct monsoon patrolling as per the provisions of Indian Railway Permanent Way Manual to ensure safe running of trains. About 770 personnel will be patrolling the Konkan Railway route during the monsoon.

Vulnerable locations will be patrolled and stationary watchmen will be deployed at critical locations round the clock. Speed restrictions will also be imposed at vulnerable locations. BRN-mounted excavators have been kept ready at all prominent points for quick movement in case of any emergency, he said.

Instructions have been issued to the loco pilots to run the trains at a reduced speed of 40 kmph in case of heavy rainfall when visibility is poor. Self-propelled ARMVs (Accident Relief Medical Vans), with provision of operation theatre and providing emergency medical aid, are kept ready all the time at Ratnagiri and Verna (Goa) along with ART (Accident Relief Train).

Mobile phones have been provided to loco pilots, station masters and other field officials, as well as executives of all departments. Both loco pilots and guards of trains have been provided with walkie-talkie sets. In addition, every station of the Konkan Railway is equipped with a 25-watt VHF base station.

Communication

This enables wireless communication between crew of different train as well as between train crew and the station masters.

Emergency Communication (EMC) sockets have been provided at a distance of average one Km along the Konkan Railway route that enables patrollers, watchmen, loco pilots, guard and other field maintenance staff to contact Station Master and Train Controllers during any emergency situations in train operations.

Satellite phone communication has been provided in Accident Relief Medical Vans for emergency contact when the vans are pressed in service. All 2,344 main signal aspects on Konkan Railway are now replaced with LED for improving signal visibility.

Three control rooms at Belapur, Ratnagiri and Madgaon, will work 24x7 during monsoon for ensuring safe running of train. Passengers can check train statuses on www.konkanrailway.com or dial 139 for information.

Monsoon Time Table

The Monsoon Time Table will come into effect on June 10 and will be continued up to October 31. Passengers who have been issued journey tickets prior to announcement of the Monsoon Time Table, are requested to check the timings of their train well in advance as the departure timing of some trains will be advanced.

Passengers may monitor their train online during monsoon by visiting www.konkanrailway.com or using KRCL App by downloading Google Play Store.