How technology can make our daily commute safe?

MUMBAI, INDIA: A month after the horrific train mishap at Churchgate on June 28, 2015, a four member investigating team has suggested use of adequate technology to prevent further accidents.

It must be noted that a local train crashed into the buffer at the dead end of the Churchgate railway station with such force that a part of it climbed on to the platform.

While the investigating team has suggested that the Indian Railways should install mobile phone jammers inside the motorman cab of all local trains and also upgrade the system of call monitoring, we take a look at technologies being used by transit operators globally.

Train Collision Avoidance System and Train Protection Warning System: During the railway budget in February 2015, Railway minister Suresh Prabhu had mentioned that the Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) which and Train Protection Warning System (TPWS) would be introduced in select routes. If implemented both these systems would go a long way in preventing accidents. The TCAS would cost Rs 1 lakh per kilometer whereas the TPWS approximately comes up to Rs 80 lakh per kilometer.

CCTVs: Some public transit agencies in the United States have installed video recording devices in buses to monitor transit operator performance and adherence to safety regulations. Though this technology has been used on commercial fleet vehicles for a number of years, its application in the public transit industry is still relatively recent and comparatively much less pervasive.

Forward collision prevention: Active safety systems such as forward collision prevention and lane keeping assist can automatically take over a car’s brakes and steering when sensors detect an imminent accident. These driver assist systems use cameras, sensors and software to detect, respond to potentially dangerous situations that drivers may miss.

Researchers are now capturing drivers and their body language over cameras and sensors employed by driver assist systems along with a new computer algorithm to predict what a driver will do and then issue a warning for corrective action.

Modern vigilance control device: In a white paper, on modern vigilance control device by using GSM and GPS technology, Ch Sindhura and BRB Jaswanth of the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Gudlavalleru Engineering College, Andhra Pradesh, proposed a new braking system to enhance popular safety.

In the paper proposed to prevent train accidents (due to un-alertness of engine drivers), the duo proposed that engines should be designed with a new emergency braking system— Modern VCD (Vigilance Control Device), a microcontroller-based safety device that enhances passenger’s safety by cyclically generating warnings and by automatically stopping the train if the driver is incapacitated or dead or fast asleep.

This technology also informs the position of the loco crew to the higher authorities and tracks the position of the train where it is stopped by using Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) and Global Positioning System (GPS) technologies. If the driver does not perform a regular task such as accelerating or braking for a stipulated period of time a message will be send to the Vigilance Control Officer (VCO) through GSM. After the train is stopped automatically, its position is tracked by GPS and a message is sent to Vigilance officer.

Rolling computer: This technology employs a rolling computer attached to the end of a freighter, and has cameras at 45-degree angles, which capture the sides of the rail to detect the presence of any anomalies in a fishplate.

The computers can be fitted with lasers, radar, ultrasonic inspection, or different types of accelerometers that scan irregularities. They can operate independently on track-bound trucks or be attached to a commercial train to inspect the track while the train is carrying freight or passengers.

Besides providing normal data such as broken or not broken the computer also provides the IT team access to trends and degradation over time, which can be used to develop a maintenance plan.

Digital railway cops: These are automated train stop systems that first warn the motormen about his joyride (plying trains above speed limit), or takes over the train if the warning goes unheeded.

We wrote about the importance of the technologies that can prevent train accidents, since the trains are a lifeline of the citizens of India. That the Mumbai locals transport millions of commuters each day is now a part of legend all the same increasing frequency of the rail accidents highlight the need to replace archaic legacy systems with new-age technologies.

We believe that precaution should not be limited to the railways alone. Road rage singularly claims many lives in urban India. An IMF report says that two-thirds of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2050 and that the city administrations want to reduce the use of private cars and encourage people to use public transit.

Great idea, but if the respective government want to actually implement it, they should have a public safety policy in place first.

After all, it’s the lives of the innocent citizens at stake!!!