Improved ACD

Press Information Bureau Ministry of RailwaysMinistry of Railways
Government of India

IMPROVED ANTI COLLISION DEVICE (ACD) TO BE TRIED ON SOUTHERN RAILWAY FROM 10TH NOVEMBER 2010

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Continuing efforts to reduce human error and enhance safety, Indian Railways will conduct the second set of equipment proving trials with the modified Anti Collision Device (ACD) on the electrified, multiple-line automatic signaling section in southern Railway from 10th November 2010, on the Chennai-Arrakonam section. The first set of trials was done in the same section in September-October 2010. The trials are aimed at providing a fair opportunity for success of the indigenous technology.

Evaluation of the first set of trials had led to modifications and corrections in respect of several software and hardware parameters. Devices with modifications will now be tried out in the second set for making headway in achieving the objective.

The Minister for Railways, Mamata Banerjee has assigned the highest priority to safety and security of passengers. Recently while addressing the Economic Editors’ Conference in Delhi, the Minister announced that Indian Railways has been working sincerely to make its operations totally accident free in a fixed time frame. She has emphasized introduction of technological aids such as safety systems like ACD, Train Protection Warning System (TPWS), and Vigilance Control Device (VCD) etc. to strengthen safety in operation of trains.

Anti Collision Device is an indigenous concept evolved by Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) and is based on GPS. The devices which aim at preventing train collisions are to be installed on locomotives of trains and at stations as non-signaling system with no manual interventions to activate braking if collision like situations are detected; at the same time, the devices are also to be dependable so as not to act on spurious signals..

Earlier, this device was put on in-service trials in 2006 as a pilot project on the Northeast Frontier Railway which is predominantly a non-electrified single line territory. Based on experience gained there, specifications of the ACD have had to be revised to improve efficacy, reliability and availability. The current phase of trials in Southern Railway with the modified ACD on the basis of NFR experience is on the multiple electrified lines, including automatic block sections which is available on Chennai-Arrakonam section Once the trials are completed and Railways are assured of the capability of the device to provide a dependable anti collision mechanism, it will be implemented in three Railway Zones, namely Southern, South Central and South Western Railways which is already a sanctioned works.