Mumbai train crash: Magnets will clip wings of future flying locals

After the lsquoflying localrsquo was finally made to land on the tracks with much difficulty the railway authorities are mulling the idea of fitting special magnets ahead of rail terminuses on the Western and Central railway networks to ensure Sundayrsquos incident remains the last of its kindThis fast train from Bhayander dubbed the flying local by commuters had overshot the tracks and part of it had landed on platform no 3 of Churchgate station on Sunday morning PicBipin Kokatemidday had reported yesterday how more than half of the ladiesrsquo coach of a fast local from Bhayander literally flew off the tracks and came to rest on platform no 3 of Churchgate station around 1120 am on Sunday giving commuters the shock of their livesWatch video Railway officials said that later the same night when work on getting the hanging train down levelling the tracks and repairing the platform was still underway they had already begun mulling ways to ensure that such an accident never happens againldquoOne of the methods that was thought of was to install inductors consisting of a permanent magnet and an electromagnetic one as part of the existing Auxiliary Warning System AWS near terminuses which can clamp down on the brakes if the driver fails to do so in timerdquo said a Western Railway officialHe added that the inductors would be installed on the tracks before terminuses like Churchgate Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Thane Dadar and Andheri among others which serve as end points for local trains and where buffers have been placed for protectionSpreading the systemmidday had reported on February 9 lsquoWR installs track magnets to reduce train delaysrsquo how the inductors allow the motorman to know the status of an upcoming signal in advance allowing him to increase or decrease the speed of the train accordinglyWhile the inductors help speed up the working of the railway network the AWS which they are a part of can also prevent disasters by automatically applying the brakes if a motorman fails to do so in time see box WR sources said they had installed around 170 inductors on the ChurchgateVirar stretch but none of these were placed near the terminusesldquoWe are thinking of installing inductors and allowing the AWS to work at terminus stations too If a train exceeds the permissible speed then automatic brakes will be appliedrdquo said SK Sood General Manager Central and Western RailwaysTrading speed for safetyOfficials added however that doing so could affect the punctuality of trains ldquoPresently trains enter Churchgate station at 30 kmph With the AWS in place there trains may run at lower speeds as the magnets may slow down an incoming train affecting punctuality and our ability to stick to the schedulerdquo explained a WR officialQuick turnaroundsWith platform no 3 unavailable at Churchgate yesterday in the wake of Sundayrsquos accident WR officials reduced the turnaround time of local trains by more than half to ensure they could run more servicesOnly three platforms were available for local trains and authorities positioned motormen guards and other staff near the spot where the motormanrsquos cabin arrives to ensure they could conduct the necessary checks swiftlyAs soon as the train entered a platform these men would complete the checks in 2 minutes instead of the 57 minutes it usually takes for a motorman to complete themThanks to these measures WR could operate around 13 services per hour per platform from Churchgate during peak hours instead of the usual 10 They also managed to run around 9 services per platform per hour during offpeak hours instead of the usual 7 WR still had to however cancel 50 train services because of the platform remaining unavailableHow it worksAuxiliary Warning System AWS tells the motorman about the status of the next signal even before he can see the signal post The inductors on the track fitted around 180 metres before a signal sense its status red yellow double yellow or green and then pass on the information to the motorman when the train passes over itSources said the motorman gets a warning to reduce his speed when the signal is red or yellow but gets to maintain or even increase it if the signal is double yellow or green This helps enhance punctuality of trains by preventing a motorman from having to decrease his speed each timeBuiltin safety measures in the AWS can also automatically apply brakes to the moving train if the motorman fails to notice a red signal and warn the motorman if he crosses a signal that is yellow