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Stop, watch, proceed with caution. This is the gist of a series of directives that the Ministry of Railways has sent out to its districts over the past three days as they try to put their house in order after last week’s Odisha train tragedy.
In the latest directive issued on Saturday, the signaling department – which is being highlighted given the suspected loopholes in signal maintenance protocol caused the accident – has asked all railways in the region to stop the first train after maintenance work is complete to check everything is in order. The sign is in the right place.
In addition, the signal for trains to pass through should not be given until after checking on the electronic interlock board that the trains are on the correct track.
“These shall be applicable to all up and down direction trains,” reads the Joint Procedure Order for Disconnecting and Reconnecting Signaling Equipment, issued jointly by the Signals and Traffic Departments.
Saturday’s directive also called for double locks on all installations featuring level crossing signals and panels (such as site boxes).
“A double locking arrangement shall be provided at all level crossing gate relay huts/barriers within station boundaries that house S&T equipment for LC gates and point/track circuit signaling,” the application reads, adding: “goomty gate/cabin housing signaling equipment in the yard The station shall be treated as a relay hut.” goomty is a small cabin.
Until the double locks are arranged, she said, the individual keys will be in the custody of the Station Master.
The order also instructed each section to collect information about all the places where the level crossing gate and points/signals are located in the same relay hut/goomty.
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