Railways increases max speed of trains

To avoid delay of trains during the foggy season, the Indian Railways has decided to enhance the maximum permissible speed of trains to 75 km per hour from the present 60 km per hour.

“It has been decided that with the use of fog devices in locomotives, the maximum permissible speed during foggy/inclement weather conditions can be enhanced from 60 kmph (km per hour) to 75 kmph,” the Ministry of Railways said in a statement.

It added that reliable fog safe devices, if available, may be provided to the Loco Pilots in all locomotives running in fog affected areas during fog.

The ministry has asked railway zones to keep adequate supply of detonators –detonating signals, otherwise known as detonators or fog signals, are appliances which are fixed on the rails and when an engine passes over them, they explode with a loud report so as to attract the attention of the driver.

“Lime marking across the track at the sighting board (or at distant signal in case of double distant signals) must be done,” it added.

The ministry said in a statement said that all signal sighting boards, whistle boards, fog signal posts and busy vulnerable level crossing gates, which are accident-prone, should either be painted or provided with yellow/black luminous strips. The work of repainting for their proper visibility should be completed before the onset of the foggy season.