Mumbai: New signalling system may get railways 'on track' during monsoon

Less than a week after the Maharashtra government its nod to Rs 54,777 crore worth of projects which are part of the Urban Transport Project (MUTP) 3A, the Indian Railways seem to be unsure of the new signalling system that has been proposed under this project. Replacing the Rs 5,928 crore Communication Based Train Control (CBTC), which is part of MUTP 3A with Positive Train Control (PTC) is under consideration.

On December 3, two days before the state government's approval came in, an alternative for CBTC was discussed with a Chinese delegation in a meeting presided by the Western Railway. Sources in the railways department told DNA that they are looking at an alternate signalling system called Positive Train Control (PTC) for Mumbai suburban — the first on Indian Railways. Even the Research, Design and Standards Organisation — the research wing of IR — have had visited China to check the efficiency of the system before taking any decision.

The rail authorities are in two minds over spending Rs 5,928 crore on CBTC considering the fact that it can take a hit during monsoon in case of water logging on tracks. CBTC makes use of the telecommunications between the train and track equipment wherein chips are installed inside the rake and track. The system determines the exact position of a train better than the traditional fixed signalling systems. However, since chips are fitted on tracks, there is a possibility of failure in case of water logging. On the other hand, in PTC, chips will be installed only inside tunnels, thus, dodging the monsoon woes.

Apart from this, PTC is said to reduce headway between two trains to 90 seconds; while with CBTC, they expect headway was 120 to 150 seconds. Moreover, the cost of PTC is around Rs 5-6 crore per km while it is around Rs 10 crore per km in case of CBTC.

Currently, PTC is operational in China and the USA. The system uses GPS navigation to track train movements. Radio towers close to the tracks will send signals to the train about the distance of train ahead and condition of tracks ahead. Increased fuel efficiency or locomotive diagnostics are other benefits associated with PTC.

"Right now, the system will be most suitable for the CSMT-Panvel Harbour line where only EMUs (local trains) run," said a senior railway official.