Railway Board Introduces Unified Subsidiary Rules for Signal Failures

The Railway Board has released 'Unified Subsidiary Rules' across all 17 railway zones to streamline and clarify instructions for station masters, loco pilots, and train managers during automatic signalling failures. This decision follows a fatal accident in West Bengal, emphasizing the need for uniformity in railway operations.

The Railway Board has introduced 'Unified Subsidiary Rules' across all 17 railway zones. These rules provide specific guidelines for station masters, loco pilots, and train managers during automatic signalling failures.

The decision to unify these rules emerged after a tragic accident in West Bengal, where a goods train collided with the stationary Kanchanjunga Express, leading to ten fatalities. The accident highlighted inconsistencies in the subsidiary rules across different railway zones, which the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) identified as a contributing factor.

To address these issues, the Railway Board set up a four-member committee tasked with creating uniform operating procedures. Their recommendations include stopping at defective signals and reworking various paper authority letters. The new form, T/E-912, will now standardize procedures for temporary single-line working in Automatic Block Signalling territories.

(With inputs from agencies.)