New Delhi: During every winter season fog delays trains in large parts of North India.
Despite a grant of Rs 3 crore by the government, Indian Railways is still resorting to techniques which date back to the British Raj.
This year, too, Northern Railways has its work cut out to ensure trains run on schedule and using fog signal detonators to do so.
"It is a disc shaped structure which railways get from ordinance depots. It costs about Rs 80 each and is called patakas (crackers) by the staff," railway PRO Rajiv Saxena says.
Metal containers filled with explosives are fixed atop railway tracks using metal clasps. They explode when a train passes over them. The sound of the explosion warns the engine driver about obstructions up ahead and alerts him to slow down.
"These patakas (crackers) are placed at a distance of 10 metres from each other, starting at 270 metres from the outermost signal of the railway station. so we know when to stop," a driver says.
Even though the method seems ingenious, but it is outdated. Other countries have switched to modern technology like GPS and lasers to combat fog, but not Indian Railways.
In December 2007, the Ministry of Railways sanctioned Rs 3 crore for laser technology based Fog Vision Instrumentation that would help trains run at normal speed even under foggy conditions.
But that project is yet to see the light of the day.
GPS technology is currently being tested on some trains on the North Central route and railway authorities admit it will still take many months to introduce it on all trains.
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