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STILL BATTLING with erratic brakes in its goods trains, Indian Railways has decided to further reduce speeds and also look for a whole new braking system for its fleet.
As solution continues to elude the national transporter, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw held a high-level meeting on Wednesday to take stock, once again, of the situation.
As reported by The Indian Express earlier, goods trains fitted with Bogie-Mounted Brake System (BMBS) have been involved in jumping of signals and derailments because of erratic braking system.
The minister is learnt to have viewed presentations of what has been done so far as well as what the plan of action is.
Railways has conducted trials to find a solution; it has also kept the German company supplying the brakes – Knorr Bremse – in the loop, officials told The Indian Express. However, even the company has not been able to come up with a solution that satisfies Railways, sources said.
“Speeds of loaded goods trains in ghat sections will be further reduced to around 30-40 km per hour. Empty rakes will also be ordered to go slow,” a Railway Board source said. All payments due to the German company, even for items supplied for other projects, have been withheld.
In August, faced with this problem, Railways had decided to reduce speeds of loaded goods trains at 50 kmph in downward slopes and 65 kmph on level tracks. Now, the idea is to reduce speeds further.
Around a lakh wagons on Indian Railways are fitted with this braking system, so stalling the operation of all wagons is not a viable option for Railways. “It has been decided that we will also explore global expertise for a new braking system in the future. We will see what is globally best and better than what we already have and take a call. But that’s the next step. The current concern is to find a solution to this problem,” a senior official said.
The BMBS is used only in goods trains, which require significantly more braking power and where the brakes are applied on the wheels of wagons.
Introduced over a decade ago, BMBS is an apparatus in which braking cylinders are attached to the bogie — the trolley that connects the two wheels. Each wagon has two trolleys. While traditional systems had around 72 moving parts involved in the braking process, BMBS reduces the number to around 40. The aim was to increase reliability and safety, and reduce maintenance needs.
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