New Delhi: The Indian Railway is considering an alternative system after trial runs of the anti-collision device (ACD) brought to fore several operational and technical problems, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.

ACD is a global positioning system (GPS) based device provided in the locomotive which continuously transmits position of loco to other locomotives in the vicinity and applies brakes in a collision-like situation.
Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour, Minister of State for Railways Bharatsinh Solanki said a large number of operational and technical problems had been experienced in trials in southern and Northeast Frontier railways.
"ACD provided by Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd and on trial in Northeast Frontier Railway also has operational problems and technical issues which are yet to be resolved," he said. There are so many constraints in the ACD that the Railway Ministry is thinking of going in for another system, he said, adding problems such as unwarranted braking have led the ministry to reconsider the project.
"It would be possible to proliferate this system on complicated and High Density Routes on other railways only after these issue are resolved comprehensively by KRCL," he said.
He said collision is the most critical of all rail accidents and new technologies to prevent them include ACD, Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS), Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), Vigilance Control Device (VDC) and Fog Safe Device (FSD). To another question, Solanki said the Ministry of Railways has carried out technical feasibility study for an elevated rail corridor to be constructed between Churchgate and Virar in Mumbai.
"As the project is at preparatory stage, no time frame can be indicated," he said. When Jaya Bachchan (SP) asked where was land available in Mumbai for construction of an elevated rail corridor, the minister said "land is a problem of the state government."
Indian Railways was in discussions with the Maharashtra government on land acquisition and shifting of amenities for the Mumbai elevated rail corridor. Bachchan was not satisfied with the minister`s reply and wondered if he wanted to build rail lines in sky.
PTI