Train travel is set to become a lot safer and faster with the railways planning to install an indigenous technology called Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) which will help prevent train accidents while enabling the state-run transporter to run more trains on the same track.
The new technology,which could facilitate driverless train operation in future,is the first of its kind in the world and will cost very little.
TCAS is economical and will cost only Rs 10-12 lakh per km to implement.
The system is cheaper and far more effective than the Train Protection Warning System (TPWS) and anticollision device (ACD) which were tried by the railways earlier.
Similar technology used by Delhi Metro costs around Rs 100 crore per km.
TCAS can read signals up to a distance of three km and intimate the driver about the location of signal,station and trains in the area.The information to the engine will be disseminated via radio communication system linking the train to the station and other trains in the vicinity.
The technology will help the driver view the signal from his cabin through a monitor,and also advise the loco pilot on increasing or decreasing train speed depending on location of another train on the same track.
One of its significant features is the availability of an emergency button which the driver can use in the event of a potential mishap,bringing all trains in its vicinity to a halt.In case of any failure on the part of the driver,such as jumping the signal,the station master can also stop the train.
Even if the communication systems installed at stations fail,loco drivers of trains in a 3-km radius will remain in contact.
