Indian Railways is doing away with chain-pulling system that halts trains

Soon, chains inside railway coaches to stop trains will be a thing of past. The Railway Ministry has decided to remove these chains, saying it results in train delays and revenue losses.

An official told Economic Times that railways had incurred a loss of Rs 3,000 crore because trains ran late with the indiscriminate chain-pulling for no good reason.

Now, instead of the chains, mobile phone numbers of the driver and assistant driver would be displayed in coaches, so that passengers can call in case of an emergency.

The work of removing chain has already begun at Izzatnagar in Bareilly.

Rajendra Singh, Public Relations Officer of the North Eastern Railways, Izzatnagar division, told ET, "The alarm chains will no longer be installed in new coaches being manufactured at rail coach factories across the country. The Railway Board has already issued a notification requiring that the chains not be installed.

Maintenance workshops have already started removing the alarm chains from existing coaches. At Izzatnagar railway workshop, technicians have already started removing the alarm chain from coaches coming in for maintenance."

Also, one employee carrying a walkie-talkie would be present for every three coaches in each train.

Singh told the financial daily that the chain was rampantly misused by travellers who pulled it in self-interest rather that in case of emergency. He said some people pulled the chain when relatives or friends might miss the train.

Union Minister of State for Railways, Manoj Sinha, had earlier said that pulling chain to stop the train was a big menace in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which led to delay in trains and incurring huge losses to the railways.

Divisional Railway Manager, (DRM) Izzatnagar division, Chandra Mohan Jindal, told ET, "It is undeniable that chain-pulling is among the major factors delaying trains. This has come up for discussion before the Railway Board. The problem is acute in states like Bihar UP, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana."

(Image: Indiatimes)