
Railways plans to fence tracks to curb trespassing
Responding to a report 'Vande Bharat has weak defences against even cows: Safety Report' published in The Hindu on Monday, the zone said Vande Bharat trains were designed with modern coupling design which transmitted the impact energy throughout the train. For additional safety, there was a cattle guard at the front to deflect anything that came on the track.
The clarification said Vande Bharat trains had 'Kavach' and other built-in safety devices. The braking system was modern and fully integrated with the safety system.
'Having run millions of kilometres by now, equivalent to covering the earth's perimeter multiple times, the Vande Bharat trains have proven to be safe and efficient,' the note said.
The Hindu article was based on a safety report generated by the Commission of Railway Safety, Ministry of Civil Aviation, and submitted to the Railway Minister. One of the safety measures suggested in the operation of high-speed trains was to prevent trespassing by fencing tracks.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


News18
9 hours ago
- News18
India Has Seen 157 ‘Consequential' Train Accidents Since 2021-22: Railways
The ministry said that in 2025-26, up to June, three consequential train accidents have been reported on the Indian Railways network—about one per month on average Indian Railways has reported an average of three 'consequential" train accidents per month since 2021-22, as the country reported 157 such mishaps in the last 51 months, data analysed by News18 shows. Train accidents can be broadly divided into two categories: consequential and non-consequential. Consequential are those with serious repercussions in terms of loss of human life or injury, damage to railway property, or interruption to rail traffic of laid-down threshold levels and values. These include collisions, fire, derailment, and accidents at the level crossings. A total of 35 consequential train accidents—about three per month—were reported in 2021-22, the railway ministry told Rajya Sabha on Friday. In 2022-23, it increased to 48, about four per month on average. The next year, 2023-24, India saw 40 consequential train accidents, more than three per month on average. In the last financial year, 2024-25, there were 31 consequential train accidents, about three (2.6) accidents per month. The inquiry committees, after due deliberations, submit their findings and recommendations on various accidents. Appropriate action is taken by the respective railway administration for the implementation of the recommendations suggested by the agencies in their report. 'Safety is accorded the highest priority on Indian Railways. As a consequence of various safety measures taken over the years, there has been a steep decline in the number of accidents," the ministry said. Listing the efforts made by the ministry to ensure safety, the reply said that Kavach is a highly technology-intensive system, which requires safety certification of the highest order. 'Kavach was adopted as a National ATP system in July 2020. Kavach is provided progressively in a phased manner…Kavach has been successfully commissioned over the Kota-Mathura section (Delhi-Mumbai route) covering 324 Route Kilometres on July 30," the ministry said. It added that Kavach has already been deployed on 1,548 RKm on South Central Railway and North Central Railway. Presently, work is in progress on the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah corridors (approximately 3,000 RKm). view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
Seven lakes in Bengaluru set for revival; civic groups urge scientific vigilance
Seven lakes in Bengaluru may finally be brought to life by November, as the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is currently in the final stages of their rejuvenation, according to a progress report reviewed by The Hindu. However, environmental activists and civic volunteers have raised concerns about possible oversights that could harm the ecological balance of these water bodies and undermine years of rejuvenation efforts. The lakes approaching completion include Kacharakanahalli Lake, Hulimavu Lake, Doddabidarakallu Lake, Gunjur Mouji Lake, Carmalaram Lake, Hoodi Giddanakere, and Vengaiahnakere (K.R. Puram Lake). Vijaykumar Haridas, Chief Engineer, Lakes, confirmed that these projects will be completed by November or by December. Except for Kacharakanahalli Lake, most are nearly finished, with only minor works like pedestrian pathways and fencing remaining, he said. After rejuvenation, all seven lakes will fall under Category D - water quality fit for wildlife and fisheries. Spanning over 240 acres collectively, these lakes have faced significant delays, some extending across five monsoons. Community groups, which have been advocating for their revival for years, now hope to see ecological restoration, including the return of nesting birds and revival of fisheries. Community expectations Mithan Subbiah, lead volunteer at Hulimavu Kere Taranga, noted that nearly 140 bird species have been spotted at Hulimavu Kere, a 100-acre lake excluding encroachments, according to data from eBird. Activists have pointed out that lake rejuvenation tends to be human-centric, focusing on beautification and recreation rather than ecological purpose. Ironically, they say, even this approach is often inconsistently executed. For example, work on Hulimavu Kere only accelerated after the area experienced severe flooding, attracting public attention and criticism of BBMP. V. Ramprasad, of Friends of Lakes, emphasised that proper rejuvenation should meet three main objectives: improving groundwater, facilitating rainwater harvesting, and flood mitigation. 'Several lakes lack sluice gates and sewage treatment plants, which hampers these goals and reduces the work to beautification,' he said. He stressed that lakes should only be considered rejuvenated if they are managed under proper Standard Operating Procedures and meet BIS 17663 standards. Concerns on the ground Zibi Jamal, a volunteer at Whitefield Rising, expressed relief as the Hoodi Giddanakere lake is finally nearing completion. 'Recent reports of algal blooms in rejuvenated lakes across the city are concerning. The contractor for this project must ensure there are no scientific lapses in the rejuvenation process that could lead to algal blooms or other environmental issues,' Ms. Jamal said. Meanwhile, Hulimavu Kere, the largest among the seven lakes, faces issues of open defecation in surrounding areas. Ms. Subbiah believes proper fencing on specific sides of the lake is needed. Mr. Ramprasad pointed out extensive encroachments at Kacharakanahalli Lake. As per 1976 records, the lake originally covered 56 acres, but only 16 acres remained when rejuvenation began. Nithya, the executive engineer overseeing the project, said that some encroachments, including a private sports complex and slum board structures, have been cleared, increasing the lake area to 22 acres. BBMP is coordinating with the Slum Development Board to recover more land. According to official data, 435 huts, housing around 1,600 people, are situated in the encroached area. Ashok D.R., Commissioner of the Karnataka Slum Development Board, said these families will be rehabilitated to government housing in Bidarahalli, built by the Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation. BBMP will cover 70% of the cost of the new housing. In addition to these seven lakes, BBMP is also rejuvenating over 20 more lakes with a budget of ₹50 crore. Another ₹65 crore, allocated under the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF), will be used to rejuvenate seven additional lakes: Hebbal, Nagawara, Sompura, Chikkabellandur, Arekere, Halsur, and Kalkere lakes.

The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
Kavi Subhas, a major Kolkata metro station to remain closed for nearly a year after cracks appear on structure
Kolkata Kavi Subhas the terminal station of North South Metro Station (Blue Line) to be razed after cracks develop in the structure, commuters worry as metro services truncated for almost a year. Metro Railway Kolkata authorities have decided to raze parts of the structure, and the reconstruction work may take close to a year making commute difficult for regulars. This comes after cracks were noticed on the structure on July 28 (Monday) which was caused due to foundation subsidence following heavy rainfall in the city for the past few days. All the other stations on the Blue Line are in good condition and operations will remain unaffected. The Blue Line will now operate between Dakshineswar to Shahid Khudiram stations. As the Kavi Subhas metro station also known as the New Garia area is a cardinal station which connects the metro to the local train lines from the suburban areas and South 24 Parganas, it forms the lifeline for workers coming in from outside the city for work. 'The UP platform's four pillars have developed cracks which holds the roof structure above. We stopped metro services on Monday from 12.45 p.m. for passenger safety,' a senior railway official told TheHindu. The official also confirmed that they have also started repair work will take almost 6-8 months to complete. 'We will send out a tender call on August and do the rest of the repair work once the tender is passed,' the official added. He also stated that they had plans to start repair work after the 2025 Durga Pujas but the urgency in the situation led them to start the work immediately. The other metro line between Kavi Subhas and Ruby Crossing on the Orange Line will remain unaffected as the other side structure remains unaffected. According to sources, metro officials have said that the decision was taken keeping passenger safety in mind and the whole work will take a few months to complete. Many unaware passengers had turned up at the closed down metro railway station and got stranded on Tuesday and Wednesday. But metro officials have maintained constant announcements on the routes to notify about the station closure. Many local auto riders asked for double fair to transport people between Kavi Subhas and Shahid Khudiram stations accused passengers. EOM