Electrified Konkan Railway set for its first monsoon

Nets have been fixed along the Konkan Railway route to reduce chances of landslides and boulders falling on tracks

Konkan Railway is set to face its first monsoon post complete electrification, and around 840 personnel will patrol the tracks to keep the trains going. The last phase of work for electrification of the line was completed in March this year.

"The trains will run at 40 kmph speed and 846 personnel will patrol the route with identified vulnerable locations manned round the clock. Trains mounted with excavators have also been kept ready at nominated points for quick movement in case of any emergency. Satellite phones have been provided at the Accident Relief Medical Van in case of extreme weather adversities for emergency contact," a Konkan Railway official said.

He added, "The Konkan region is known to receive heavy rainfall during monsoon. The large-scale geo-safety works executed along the railway line in the past few years have significantly reduced the incidences of boulder fall and soil slip. All main signal aspects on Konkan Railway are now replaced with LEDs to improve signal visibility. Instructions have also been issued to loco pilots to run trains at 40 kmph in case of heavy rainfall when visibility is limited. Both loco pilots and guards of trains have been provided with walkie-talkie sets and all stations are equipped with a 25-Watt VHF (very high frequency) base station."

In addition, emergency communication sockets have been provided at a distance of average 1 km along the route that enables patrolmen, watchmen, loco pilots, guard and other field maintenance staff to contact the station master and control office during emergencies. Self-recording rain gauges have been installed at nine stations with additional flood warning systems for bridges and anemometers (a device that measures wind speed and direction) for taller viaducts.

While the foundation stone of Konkan Railway electrification was laid in November 2015, the project was approved by the Ministry of Railways in 2016 at a total cost of Rs 1,287 crore.

40 kmph
Prescribed speed of trains