Northeast Frontier Railway strengthens safety measures for approaching foggy season 

Guwahati, Nov 25 (IANS) The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has undertaken extensive preparations to ensure safe train operations during the approaching foggy and inclement weather season, officials said on Tuesday. 

NFR’s Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said that in line with Railway Board guidelines, the zone is equipping locomotives with Fog Safe Devices to assist Loco Pilots in identifying signals and markers under low-visibility conditions. 

Automatic signalling systems are also being upgraded as per revised standards to enhance reliability and safety during fog, he said. 

Ahead of the fog season, NFR has strengthened its infrastructure by ensuring adequate availability of detonators, lime-marking key track locations for better visibility, repainting signal sighting boards and level crossing gates with luminous strips and installing LED-based flasher tail lamps on rear coaches. 

The CPRO said that retro-reflective STOP boards and other visibility-enhancing measures are being checked and reinforced across fog-prone sections to ensure consistent safety preparedness. Operational steps are also being implemented, including rationalising train movements to reduce congestion during low-visibility periods. 

According to Sharma, training and refresher courses for Loco Pilots, Assistant Loco Pilots, and Guards are being conducted at Zonal Training Centres and Supervisor Training Centres, with special emphasis on fog operations. 

Crew changing points and locomotive links are being closely monitored to maintain punctuality and safety throughout the challenging weather conditions, he added. 

The NFR CPRO informed that Visibility Test Objects (VTOs) are being installed or verified at all required stations to help Station Masters assess fog intensity and take appropriate safety actions, such as deploying fog signalmen or placing detonators. 

NFR assures passengers that all necessary operational, technical and safety measures are in place to ensure safe and reliable travel during the foggy season and encourages passengers to stay updated through official communication channels. 

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), which operates in the Northeastern states and in seven districts of West Bengal and five districts of north Bihar, has more than 7,362 Track Kilometres (TKM) in its jurisdiction. 

--IANS 

sc/dan