The railways will have safety fencing at vulnerable locations for Vande Bharat trains to run at a speed between 110 kmph and 130 kmph and all along the tracks for a speed above 130 kmph, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. In a written response to a question from BJP MP Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi, the minister said, “Safety is accorded the highest priority by Indian Railways.”
Lodhi wanted to know “the manner in which the safety of railway tracks is being ensured in view of the high speed of Vande Bharat trains.”
“Railways is having a set system of inspection, maintenance and repair of track,” Vaishnaw said, providing a list of steps such as modern track structure, patrolling of railway tracks, ultrasonic flaw detection testing of rails to detect flaws and mechanisation of track maintenance among others.
“Safety fencing has been stipulated at vulnerable locations for speed above 110 kmph to 130 kmph and all along the track for speed above 130 kmph, as a minimum standard,” he said.
Lodhi also asked if the railway tracks on which Vande Bharat trains run are reportedly being obstructed by anti-social elements.
“During the year 2023 (up to November), four incidents of obstruction by putting foreign elements on railway tracks by anti-social elements on route of Vande Bharat trains were reported and action against the arrested persons in these cases have been taken as per law,” Vaishnaw said, adding that the Railway Protection Force (RPF) in coordination with GRP/district police and civil administration takes several initiatives to ensure safe train operations.
Responding to another question, the minister said, “Introduction of new train services and provision of stoppage of existing train services, including Vande Bharat services, are ongoing processes…subject to traffic justification, operational feasibility, resource availability, etc.”
