Suburban train travel is set to become faster and safer as the railways introduced the anti-collision Train Protection Warning System (TPWS) on the 68km Chennai-Arakkonam route on Wednesday. The safety system will prevent drivers from violating signals and speed restrictions by taking over controls of the train and also help prevent delays during foggy weather.
The railway ministry will also install the safety system, based on European Train Control System's level 1, on the Arakkonam-Jolarpet and Beach-TambaramChengalpet routes at `200crore. The TPWS was found to be 99% successful during trials on the 50km Chennai-Gummidipoondi section since 2008.
A railway official said 169 signals on the Chennai-Arakkonam route were linked by laying track-side equipment or beacons that will communicate with signals and trains. Around 82 EMU trains have been fitted with onboard systems. The TPWS will not only warn drivers of obstructions ahead but also help regulate the speed of trains and activate emergency braking automatically in case of failure of the driver to heed warning signs.
In a statement, Thales, which bagged the contract in September last year, said: "This project is intended at optimising train security and passenger safety while enabling trains to run faster, leading to shorter travel times and increased line capacity through the Automatic Train Protection (ATP) capability." Director in charge of Ground Transportation for Thales in India Raviprakash Karcherla said, "As passenger safety and train security are of utmost importance, we are proud to have brought the advanced and capable train protection system to India's railway networks through this project. We look forward to further supporting the Indian Railways in its ongoing modernisation plan."
Sources said the advanced safety system, under which trains will be in constant communication with the signals through sensors installed on the track side, also crucial for operating semi high speed trains.
The railway ministry will also install the safety system, based on European Train Control System's level 1, on the Arakkonam-Jolarpet and Beach-TambaramChengalpet routes at `200crore. The TPWS was found to be 99% successful during trials on the 50km Chennai-Gummidipoondi section since 2008.
A railway official said 169 signals on the Chennai-Arakkonam route were linked by laying track-side equipment or beacons that will communicate with signals and trains. Around 82 EMU trains have been fitted with onboard systems. The TPWS will not only warn drivers of obstructions ahead but also help regulate the speed of trains and activate emergency braking automatically in case of failure of the driver to heed warning signs.
In a statement, Thales, which bagged the contract in September last year, said: "This project is intended at optimising train security and passenger safety while enabling trains to run faster, leading to shorter travel times and increased line capacity through the Automatic Train Protection (ATP) capability." Director in charge of Ground Transportation for Thales in India Raviprakash Karcherla said, "As passenger safety and train security are of utmost importance, we are proud to have brought the advanced and capable train protection system to India's railway networks through this project. We look forward to further supporting the Indian Railways in its ongoing modernisation plan."
Sources said the advanced safety system, under which trains will be in constant communication with the signals through sensors installed on the track side, also crucial for operating semi high speed trains.