While train accidents continue unabated, the railways are yet to install the much-needed Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS), which could have prevented mishaps like the one Tuesday, which killed 25 people.
The European TPWS system, which ensures emergency brakes are automatically applied if a locomotive driver jumps a red signal, may have saved lives Tuesday, when train driver M.Y. Ratnam, despite reporting for duty after resting over 24 hours, jumped the signal to hit a stationary goods train, a senior railway official said.
The scale of the tragedy could have been bigger, he said, as Bengaluru-bound Hampi Express was to follow Line 1, on which Nanded Express was moving out slowly, but due to “the point” set later for the ill-fated train to go on Line 2, on which the goods train was stationary, the loss of lives was minimal.
The official said the tender process for TPWS was yet to be finalised. This entails expenditure of `50 lakhs per kilometre. The zonal railways were earlier due to install TPWS, but now it has been decided the Railway Board will finalise tenders, further delaying the entire process.