Title - Railways draws safety plan for foggy weather

Ambala: In an attempt to deal with the foggy weather conditions which hit train services on the Delhi-Ambala-Amritsar and Ambala-Una sections to a great extent during the winter season, the railway authorities have drawn a safety and operational plan.The authorities are working out ways to ensure trains function without compromising the safety of the passengers and minimal cancellation of the trains. Other than upgrading the emergency halt systems installed on the trains, the authorities have decided to limit the train speeds to 60 km/hr in case of reduced visibility.Senior officials in the Railways said the Delhi-Amritsar and Delhi-Una sections were highly affected by the fog which engulfs the region in mid-December and affect the train movement till February.They said that the department had overhauled the safety mechanism of the trains to make certain that no situation arises from the failure of systems on the train. The officials monitoring the movement of the trains have also been asked to remain alert during foggy conditions and maintain the signal systems aptly.The officials said depending upon the weather the department might go in for the cancellation of certain trains from January 1 till 15, next year. These include the Lucknow-Chandigarh Express, Chandigarh-Lucknow Express, Jaipur-Amritsar Express, Amritsar-Jaipur Express, New Delhi-Jalandhar Intercity and Jalandhar-New Delhi.Besides, the railways department is already testing the latest fog safety devices which have been installed on most of the trains which operate in the region. These devices, which are based on the global positioning system, provide the train drivers with information about approaching signal posts.The officials said all-out efforts were being made so that passengers faced minimal inconvenience due to the weather.