Railways plans to fence tracks to curb trespassing

Railways proposes nationwide track fencing to prevent trespassing hazards, with Vande Bharat trains equipped with modern safety features.

The Railways has proposed to fence tracks throughout the country to avoid hazards of trespassing. As a pilot measure, more than 3,500 km of tracks were already fenced, the Southern Railway has said in a note. 

Responding to a report ‘Vande Bharat has weak defences against even cows: Safety Report’ published in The Hindu on Monday, the zone said Vande Bharat trains were designed with modern coupling design which transmitted the impact energy throughout the train. For additional safety, there was a cattle guard at the front to deflect anything that came on the track.

The clarification said Vande Bharat trains had ‘Kavach’ and other built-in safety devices. The braking system was modern and fully integrated with the safety system.

“Having run millions of kilometres by now, equivalent to covering the earth’s perimeter multiple times, the Vande Bharat trains have proven to be safe and efficient,” the note said.

The Hindu article was based on a safety report generated by the Commission of Railway Safety, Ministry of Civil Aviation, and submitted to the Railway Minister. One of the safety measures suggested in the operation of high-speed trains was to prevent trespassing by fencing tracks.