Railway Safety Initiative: Minister Vaishnaw Implements Four New Track Recording Cars After CAG Report Highlights Shortfalls

After a CAG report highlighted deficiencies, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Rajya Sabha on Friday (09 February) that four new track recording cars (TRCs) have been put into service, according to a report from The Economic Times.

This action follows queries raised by All India Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien regarding the completion of railway track safety inspections, given the CAG's observation that 50 per cent of mandatory track safety inspections have not been conducted.

Vaishnaw has clarified that the CAG report had noted inadequate inspections during the study period.

He also emphasised that while TRCs are crucial for comprehensive track parameter checks, alternative methods such as the oscillation monitoring system (OMS) are utilised when TRCs are unavailable.

Furthermore, Vaishnaw outlined the Indian Railways' established system of scheduled inspections by railway officials, including daily checks by keymen and inspections by various levels of officials using different methods such as foot patrols, trolley inspections, and vehicle inspections.

"Detailed inspections are conducted as per the schedule outlined in the Indian Railway Permanent Way Manual (IRPWM) and recorded in the Track Management System (TMS)," Vaishnaw elaborated.

He further highlighted that any deficiencies in inspections are promptly flagged in the TMS dashboard, triggering alerts for controlling officers to take necessary preventive and corrective measures.

Lastly, Vaishnaw underscored that the monitoring of track geometry parameters is carried out by TRCs and OMS at prescribed intervals to ensure comprehensive track safety.