Special training to ensure motormen don’t jump signals

SIMULATOR TRAINING IS TO PREVENT CR AND WR MOTORMEN FROM JUMPING SIGNALS BY GIVING THEM A VIRTUAL SENSE OF GRADIENTS

MUMBAI: The Central and Western Railways have decided to use mobile simulators to train their motormen in order to prevent them from jumping red signals, which puts the lives of commuters at risk.

The simulators are specially designed with a map of the city’s suburban railway, including every curve and gradient, to familiarise motormen with the system. The simulators are installed at Virar car-shed on WR and Kalwa car-shed on CR.

According to officials, the simulators have given motormen a chance to make errors and learn from them, which was not possible in the earlier system. Earlier they would have to learn about gradients and crossing by physically visiting them. “The motormen will get a hands-on experience of the gradient, curves, crossings, diamond crossings of the city’s rail network,” said a senior WR official. CR organised these workshops for motormen and their families after several incidents in April and May when motormen overshot red signals on CR, resulting in the disruption of local services.the official also said all motormen, including the newly recruited ones will be trained on the simulators.

Earlier, a newly recruited motorman would learn about the system while on the job. Simulators have always been used for training loco pilots for outstation trains. This is for the first time that simulators are being used to train motormen of locals.