The Indian Railways will conduct periodic audits of its train operating systems to ensure compliance with safety protocols. The inter-zonal and inter-divisional audit will identify unsafe practices, if any, that might lead to “near miss” situations.
According to sources in the railways, a series of measures have been taken to prioritise the “safety first” culture at all levels. While undertaking internal quality audits of the maintenance of rolling stock, senior officers were traveling in locomotives of express / freight trains, making surprise inspections at stations and other establishments to check the working of railway systems.
A special emphasis was given to monitor the implementation of standard operating procedure while obtaining a block (temporary suspension of train operations) in a section to carry out signal repair or maintenance work.
Acting on the instructions of the Railway Board, officers at the zonal/divisional level are organising intensive safety drives. The move to review the entire safety system follows the train accident at Bahanaga Bazar station in Odisha on June 2, which left about 290 passengers dead and scores of others injured.
Since a signaling error was found to be the reason for the Odisha train tragedy and the issue (of train cleared for passage through main line entering the loop line) was already flagged at the highest level even before the accident, the railways had taken a serious note of the problem and issued the SOP for signal repair/maintenance works.
“We have been asked to put our foot down on any unsafe practices leading to near miss situations. Reports on any shortcomings are being brought to the notice of the authorities concerned for immediate action. The purpose of the safety audit is to check whether the prescribed systems are being followed in order,” a senior railway official said.
Filling vacancies
Asked about the filling of vacancies, the officer who did not want to be quoted said effective steps were being taken to fill the vacancies, especially in the safety categories. The railways had reported 2,63,913 vacancies across zones and production units. Railway Recruitment Boards were in different stages of recruitment to fill the posts.
The Railway Board had issued instructions that monsoon precaution measures should be executed within the timeframe to prevent failures and traffic disruptions. System improvement, training and sensitization of staff was imperative to reduce human failures, the railway sources added.
