Revamp of Railway Signaling: A Safety Leap Forward

The government announced in Rajya Sabha that railway signaling assets are being replaced based on their age and condition, adhering to Codal provisions. This initiative aims to improve safety and reduce train accidents. A timeline for overhauling these assets is outlined in the Indian Railway Signal Engineering Manual.

In a significant safety update, the government has disclosed plans to revamp railway signaling assets based on age and condition, as mandated by Codal provisions. This was revealed during a Rajya Sabha session addressing concerns over 'outlived signal assets.'

Trinamool Congress MP Sushmita Dev inquired about the aging signal assets and the funds allocated for the Plan for Reliability Improvement and Maintenance Effectiveness (PRIME) in the signaling system. She also questioned the timeline for overhauling these systems and requested accident statistics from the past five years.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, presenting a marked decline in accidents, stated that consequential train accidents dropped from 135 in 2014-15 to 40 in 2023-24. He highlighted various safety measures and assured that signaling assets are overhauled as per the Indian Railway Signal Engineering Manual's norms.

(With inputs from agencies.)