To ensure passenger safety during rains, CR using drones to survey dangerous mountain passes

The Central Railway is not keeping any stone unturned in providing a safe journey for the commuters travelling at hilly areas during monsoon. The CR has now started using drone cameras to survey the mountain pass at the Sahyadri mountain ranges on the MumbaiPune and Mumbai-Nashik route.

A senior railway official said these drones will be used to detect dangerous areas during monsoon which obstruct the movement of local as well as outstation trains. “CR will deploy drones to capture visuals of the ghat section where landslides due to loose rocks can endanger the safety of train operations during the rains,” added official.

Before monsoon, the CR will also conduct a drone inspection of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT)–Kalyan section and the Harbour railway route and they have sought permission to carry out the operation from the Mumbai police.

Last year, there were three incidents of landslide but none led to any casualty. On August 21, a boulder that came rolling down into a coach, tearing the roof but did not cause any fatalities. “The drone inspection will help identify key areas which need to be worked upon. We are constantly inspecting the areas around the ghats to identify threats of falling boulders,” said SK Jain, Divisional Railway Manager, CR.

The railways have rented the drones for a cost of nearly Rs4,000 per kilometre. “This is the first time that drones will be used for premonsoon work on the railways in Mumbai. The drone cameras will also be used for inspection of premonsoon work,” added Jain.

Moreover, the railways have asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to provide them with a larger number of the waterpumping machine. This has been done in order to tackle the water logging problem near the Sion and Kurla railway stations. Two 1,000cubic-meter water-pumping machines will be provided at both stations during the monsoons.