Indian Railways should launch 'Zero Accident Mission': Prabhu

Indian Railways needs to launch "Zero Accident Mission" with a definite time frame, said Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Saturday.

"This requires integrated approach involving use of cost effective advanced technology and properly trained manpower," he said in his address at the valedictory session of the two-day international railway convention on advances in command, control and communications systems for main line, metro and high speed transit systems, a statement said.

Stressing that new advances in command, control and communication system can play a very vital role in evolving safe and secure operation environment on Indian Railways where there should be no scope of accidents even in case of human errors, Prabhu suggested the railways use an international forum like the international railway convention to gauge their standards.

"We should focus on global benchmarks and assess our standing as compared to the global standards. We should try to develop indigenous cost effective systems having global standards suitable for Indian Railways," he said.

Prabhu appealed to foreign companies and their representatives participating in the convention to come to India, collaborate and manufacture, highlighting that India has the advantage of skilled manpower, big market and a large manufacturing base, the statement added.

The Indian government is planning to invest $120 billion for developing railways in the next five years, he said, inviting foreign countries to make India as their manufacturing base.

Prabhu said that the investments in railways will be higher in the future and suggested foreign countries to export from India as well, the statement added.

With the Indian Railways adopting modern signalling and telecommunications solutions like centralized operation of signalling system, electronic interlocking, LED signals and block proving by axle counters, signalling and telecommunications professionals, industry representatives and companies like Efftronics, RTVision, Railel, Huawei, TechnoSatComm, Siemens, Thales, Hitachi, Frauscher, EMC and other participated in the convention.

The convention was organized by Institution of Railway Signal and Telecommunication Engineers (IRSTE) and Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (IRSE) in association with the railways.