Drivers may carry all the keys now

V Ayyappan | TNN
May 1, 2009

Chennai: Railways has started to learn lessons from the bizarre accident that took place at Vyasarpadi station on Wednesday morning. Taking a cue from the circumstances that led to the accident, Southern Railway has decided to tweak a couple of procedures to eliminate the possibility of unauthorised persons meddling with controls.
It is considering allowing motormen to handle all the four keys — levers that are inserted into different systems to operate a suburban train. If approved by the railway board, the motorman will have to carry all the keys and use it themselves. As of now, the motorman handles only one key. The rest of the keys are handled by a staff of mechanical section, who is usually a junior engineer. He inserts all the keys including the motorman’s key inside the cab and prepares the train for operation. This system allows railways to operate trains on time because the drivers just need to enter the cab and start driving when the signal is given.
Sources said the proposal was mooted at a meeting held by senior officers of Southern Railway to discuss procedures that could be followed to prevent an accident like this in the future.
The meeting suggested that motormen should handle the keys themselves because under the present procedure, there is a possibility for the motorcab to be left unguarded for a short while

(Caption: Commissioner of Railway Safety visits)

after the mechanical staff has inserted all the keys and before the motorman walks in to take the controls. This will ensure that the driver is present when the system is started and also readied for operation.
However, a couple of officers pointed out that such a system could be a hassle because the driver would have to carry the keys around because it would be listed as personal equipment in the rule book. Other officers suggested setting up of lockerroom kind of facility where the driver can keep the keys.