From next week, Czech Railways will start testing a mobile application that will alert the driver that another train is moving on the line. It also reminds him to report to the dispatcher. From September, ČD wants to deploy the application on all unsecured lines on which it runs.
Czech Railways is responding to accidents in recent weeks, including the tragic accident near Pernink in the Karlovy Vary region, in which two people died. The route from Karlovy Vary to Potůčky will be one of those for which the application will be tested. It will also be tested by train drivers on the Choceň – Litomyšl and Domažlice – Tachov lines.
The mobile application works on the principle of sharing position data from navigation satellites (GPS) and will be part of tablets, where each driver has all the instructions for a given route. “The application has two basic functions. One is to remind the conductor to report and request permission to continue the journey, and the other function is to notify another train that it is approaching. The application will sound and warn you on the screen,” described Václav Nebeský, ČD CEO. .
Even in places where there is no mobile signal, the application, similarly to car navigation, can estimate the movement of the train and after subsequent connection to the mobile network, the position will be specified.
According to Heavenly Railway, we started developing the application immediately after the accident in Pernink. After testing, it wants to install it on train drivers on the lines where ČD and its subsidiary ČD Cargo run, and will also offer it to other railway carriers.
The information would also help firefighters and rescuers
According to the President of the Karlovy Vary Region Petr Kubis (YES), the data from the application would also help the rescue services. Oldřich Volf, Deputy Director of the Fire and Rescue Service of the Karlovy Vary Region, said that firefighters and other units would welcome accurate information about train movements, as rail accidents often occur in hard-to-reach places and participants are usually unable to describe the exact location. In the future, rescue services could, for example, obtain data from the system on the number of passengers and the like.
There are about 60 lines in the Czech Republic that do not have electronic security. According to Nebeský, there are about 1,700 kilometers of tracks, which are run mainly by Czech Railways, but also by private carriers. The application is intended to help before the lines are equipped with a standard security system that could prevent accidents caused by human error.
Czech Railways currently employs approximately 3,800 drivers and, according to Nebeský, ČD has a virtually full state after a long time. Although the carrier’s internal system does not allow drivers not to comply with the legal conditions for their work, according to the CEO of ČD, it is not possible to fully ensure that, for example, they do not travel for other carriers or do other stressful activities.
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