A matter of serious concern Every day we listen to or read about a road accident on a railway crossing. A question raised is why the driver of the train didn’t stop the train. If it had been done by the driver, the accident could have been averted.
The general public doesn’t know what it takes to stop a train. Firstly, train tracks have negligible friction. A train runs only because of the force exerted by the wheels on the track. So it takes a huge amount of force to stop a train. This force may be generated by hydraulic systems, but it still can’t be decelerated from 50km/hour to 0 in 10 seconds. Secondly, visibility on tracks is not more than 750–850 metres because of the curvature of the Earth. So, by the time the loco pilot applies the brakes, it is too late.
Thirdly, such hard braking is likely to cause discomfort to passengers sitting inside, and as there are no seat belts, passengers may topple over each other. Fourthly, even if the passengers don’t feel the discomfort, such hard braking carries with it a risk of derailment.
Moreover, applying the emergency brakes will not work since the speed of the train is so high that the inertia caused by the 20–24 coaches is unstoppable. If emergency brakes are applied, the train will stop after 1.5 km, approximately From its original stoppage location.
It is therefore, for this very reason, that the loco pilot always presses a horn at every railway crossing. This is why a train is not stopped in such a situation. Instead, we, the public, need to be more careful at unmanned railway crossings.
Content created and supplied by: Mainooco (via Opera
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