Making Local More Vocal- Railways to Introduce 20 Made In India Innovations

Being self-reliant is what the country is now poised for after the recently cropped-up situation across borders and pandemic mitigation concerns across the world. Honorable Prime minister and leaders across the world are urging the development of indigenous products and services in order to avoid any such mishappening in the near future. Every move is focused on making local brands, go vocal and attain the market share in local markets. Team RailRecipe Brings to you the updated information on how Indian Government is implementing the local to go vocal agenda in Indian Railways.

In a similar move, the Railway Board has decided to implement 20 innovations undertaken by its employees to make train journeys safer and improve passenger comfort. These innovative measures are almost set and ready for implementation.

The major areas of focus on developing these innovative solutions have been in two major areas:

1. Travel Safety.
2. Travelers Comfort Concerns.

While most of the 20 innovations are aimed at technical improvements to boost safety, some of the innovations are also directed at passenger comfort – such as a bell warning to alert travelers minutes before a train departs, real-time CCTV monitoring inside coaches, the printing of unreserved tickets through mobile applications – on a mass scale.

Officials have informed that an order has been issued to all zonal general managers and production units to gear up for the implementation of these innovative ideas.

Well, to discuss a few of these solutions which would be implemented in the near future are as follows:

• Ultrasonic Flaw Detection System of Rails:The North Central Railway has developed a vehicular system for ultrasonic flaw detection of rails, which is currently done manually. The Malda division of Eastern Railway has used pyrometers to monitor the speed and temperature of tracks. The carriage and wagon department of Allahabad division of North Central Railway has developed a detector for hot axle box in running trains much before a possible derailment due to seizure.
• Natural Water CoolersThe Western Railway has developed natural water coolers, with zero electric consumption, each at a cost of ₹1.25 lakh and a lifespan of ten years. The system works on the principle of heat transfer where water is passed through copper coils which are covered with cooling fabric active through a water dripping system. These coolers have been installed at Borivali, Dahanu Road, Nandurbar, Udhana, and Bandra railway stations.
• A Bell Alert SystemA bell system — developed by Allahabad division — alerts passengers at platforms that the train is ready to depart within two minutes and they should occupy their seats. This is already in use on platform number one of Allahabad junction railway station.
• Real-Time CCTV Footage In Onboard TrainsOn the list is also a system to monitor real-time CCTV footage onboard trains. While the coaches in Humsafar trains have CCTV surveillance, the footage is not monitored in real-time. The NCR has developed a system for real-time monitoring inside trains and has installed it in all 18 coaches of Humsafar trains.

  The CCTV display unit is provided in the guard’s compartment and the videos can be recorded and viewed later; it is aimed at quick resolution of crimes onboard trains.

• Air Quality Index MonitoringAnother innovation the Railways is looking at is air quality monitoring equipment developed by NCR and installed at Allahabad railway station.
• Unreserved Ticketing Through AppsWith the coronavirus pandemic encouraging people to go contact-less, the Northern Railway developed a system through which they issued unreserved tickets through mobile apps and Bluetooth printers.

  This pilot project helped Railways to open online UTS ticketing counters at stations, platforms, tent cities and passenger holding areas without UTS connectivity and uninterrupted power supply as these devices work on lithium-ion batteries and SIM cards.

Recommended Reading: Indian Railways Move Towards Renewable Energy Supply W/ Solar Power Plant at Bina

It all looks so comforting for every traveler to see government agencies focusing on safety with indigenously developed measures. The Railway Board has instructed the zones to furnish implementation reports of these 20 innovations within the next three months.