Anti-collision device for trains

Thousands of lives would have been saved if there had not been accidents. Airbag protection, seat belts, helmets, improved design of vehicles, roads and tracks are evidences that technocrats are continuously working on to reduce the no. and effects of accidents to the every possible extent.

Focusing on rail accidents in Indian sub-continent we find the losses to be huge. Most of the times, the no. of deaths and injuries shown in news and the government's official reports are much less than the actual. You would have noticed the fact if somehow  you were an eyewitness of any such horrible accidents.

Derailed Indore-Patna Express in Northern India

The major reasons for rail accidents include :

• Collision due to technical, signal errors or negligence of  loco(train) pilots.
• Derailments due to faults on tracks mainly because of abrupt weather conditions.
• Intentional attacks by terrorists, etc.

Having the world's largest rail network, it was essential to have some efficient technology to reduce the no. of accidents in Indian subcontinent.

In 2005, Rajaram Bojji invented a device named Anti-Collision Device, patented by Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd , a public sector undertaking of Ministry of Railways, GoI.

What is Anti-Collision Device ??

 Anti- Collision Device is a fully integrated electronic control system designed to minimize collisions and provide additional cover of safety in train operations. It automatically reduces the speed to certain minimum level in risky situations.

How Anti-Collision Devices work ??

ACDs consist of Radio Frequency transmitters and receivers, GPS satellites and receivers, micro-controllers, and Automatic Braking Units (ABUs).

• Radio frequency transmitters and receivers are installed on moving locomotives which can communicate with each other within a  radial range of 3Km.
• GPS receivers receive input from the GPS  satellites to locate other nearby locomotives, their speed, direction of movement, etc.
• A micro-controller with embedded software that receive the radio frequency and GPS inputs and take actions automatically.
• Whenever, any accident or collision like condition arises, the micro-controller activates the ABU to reduce the train's speed or stop the train.

Present and Future scenarios :

As per Wikipedia, Indian Railways have successfully piloted ACDs in North-East Frontier railway covering 1,736 Kms of its broad guage route. They are now installing ACDs on 760 KMs of Konkan railway.

Indian Railways Research and Development department is looking forward to develop a much advanced Train Collision Avoiding System (TCAS) by maximizing the use of such devices for automatic alarm system at manned crossings, automatic signal checks by ACDs, etc. to ensure better safety and security to trains. At present US based GPS system is used, the accuracy of ACDs will definitely  improve when India's own positioning system IRNSS will be used for location tracing.

ACD is an efficient technology in itself and it has given a push towards the development of driver-less trains in the coming decades !!