The recommendation for jammers had been made by the inquiry committee looking into the Churchgate incident when a train overshot a platform
The recommendation of having mobile phone jammers inside the motorman’s cabin in local trains has been shot down by the Western Railway (WR) authorities.
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It is not just the inconvenience caused to women commuters travelling in the compartment near the cabin; but also the fact that there are possibilities of technical glitches in the train’s equipment that could affect its handling. mid-day had reported on this recommendation.
The recommendation for setting up jammers in the motorman’s cabin was put forth by the inquiry committee looking into the Churchgate accident, after it was found the guard of the train had spoken for 187 seconds on his mobile phone.
The train accident at Churchgate on June 28, wherein the local climbed onto platform no 3. File pic
“There are possibilities that the jammers might affect the equipment inside the motorman’s cabin as well. Moreover, these would cover a blanket area of 20 metres that might inconvenience commuters as well,” said a WR official.
Officials also feared that the jammers would cause inconvenience to commuters who travel in the first ladies compartment. No commuter travelling in the ladies compartment would have been able to use her cell phone even in case of emergencies.
The motorman is assigned a cell phone apart from his private mobile phone, by the railways, which needs to be switched off while maneuvering a train. But in case of emergency, the cell phone comes in handy while speaking to officials, apart from the walkie-talkie that helps in connecting with the control room.
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