Ranchi Division of South Eastern Railway (SER) is likely to become first Unmanned level Crossing (UlC) free division in the Country. Additional Divisional Rail Manager (ADRM) Vijay Kumar claimed that the remaining 39 UlCs in the division will be replaced with low Height Subways (lHS) by the end of this financial year.
“As more than 90 per cent of accidents are caused due to UlC, by the end of this financial year we are going to remove all 39 UlCs in the division with lHS,” said Kumar. With this Ranchi Division will perhaps become first UlC free Division in the Country, he added.
“With the construction of lHS, people need not cross the railway tracks but they will use the subway which is constructed underneath it,” added the ADRM. Kumar said that 32 UlCs were eliminated during the last financial year.
“It has been observed that number of accidents have remarkably been reduced after the replacement of UlC with lHS,” ADRM said.
The Ranchi Division, in a bid to curb casualties due to accidents, is also to introduce linke Hofmann Busch (lHB) Coaches in more trains. “As passenger safety is prime concern of Indian Railways, all traditional ICF-manufactured coaches in Ranchi Division in Express and Mail Trains will be replaced with lHB Coaches as per the availability and requirement,” said the ADRM.
lHB coaches, according to the ADRM, are safer than traditional ICF-manufactured coaches as it has the anti-climbing or anti-telescopic feature in-built which means that one coach will never climb or slide into another. The Rail Coach Factory at Kapurthala is the only one in the country which manufactures lHB coaches, he said.
Presently, only Rajdhani, Ernakulum, Shatabdi and Garibrath Express Trains have lHB coaches in Ranchi Division. Moreover, to make trains safer for passengers, regular counseling of loco Pilots and Guards are done to minimise train accidents due to human error.
“Besides conducting regular counseling of loco Pilots and Guards, our Instructors also visit their homes to find out how their family life is, and if they have any problem, they try to resolve them through further counseling. It is done only to keep them stress free so that they can discharge their duties with free mind without having any tension,” said Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Neeraj Kumar. In addition to that, refresher courses are also conducted from time to time, to keep them update about road learning and signal system, he added.
Damages on wheels and tracks are also checked here regularly to avert any kind of untoward situations.
Meanwhile, South Eastern Railway also introduced new rates chart of refreshments served inside and outside the trains on Tuesday. According to the new rate chart, standard tea will be served at Rs5, while coffee will be served at a cost of Rs7 both inside and outside the train.
“Vegetarian breakfast outside the train will be served at Rs25, while it will cost Rs30 inside the train. Similarly, standard casserole vegetarian meal inside the train will cost Rs50 to a passenger while it will be served outside the train for Rs45,” stated an official release issued by SER. Rs5 extra will be charged for non-vegetarian items, it stated.
Rs15 however, have been fixed for one liter of bottled water both inside and outside the train.