Self Propelled Accident Relief Medical Vans to improve disaster response of Railways

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : Indian Railways is gradually replacing locomotive hauled Accident Relief Medical Vans (ARMVs) with Self Propelled Accident Relief Medical Vans (SPARMVs) to improve response during disaster.

Specification of high speed Self Propelled Accident Relief Trains (HS-SPARTs) with speed of 160 kmph has been finalised and it is planned to be procured in addition to existing 110 kmph SPART. Further, to improve the capacity during restoration, 175 tonnes cranes are under procurement which is an upgradation over existing 140 T cranes available with Indian Railways. The concept of golden hour has also been recognised to expedite response time during disaster.

The main areas of focus on disaster management are: Faster Response; Better facilities and equipment; Expanding resources to meet requirements in major accidents; Coordination with other agencies of central and state governments; Training and Preparedness, according to a PIB release.

Indian Railways has an organised system of relief for managing accidents with its own resources. It consists of more than 6,000 trained breakdown staff, 176 Accident Relief Trains (ARTs), and 86 Accident Relief Medical Vans (ARMVs) made using passenger coaches. All Accident Relief Trains and Accident Relief Medical Vans have pre-defined beats, inspection schedules, and response time. In addition, there are 90 Break down Cranes of various capacities over Indian Railway system.

All equipment in Accident Relief Trains and Accident Relief Medical Equipment have been standardised based on High Level Committee recommendations