As per the reports, Indian Railways is in the process of preparing for a new timetable which is based on a “zero-based” implementation.
It is said that once Indian Railways this “zero-based timetable” implementation is over, more than 6,000 unnecessary stoppages of regular train services will be shed.
Why Would Indian Railways Want To Implement A Zero-Based Timetable?
According to sources, the said scientific manner of running train services, the zero-based timetable will help in creating more elbow room for goods and passenger carriers, which in turn, will result in better speed and efficiency.
As per the IE report, the national transporter has utilized the lockdown period in completing the work of making the timetable with help from IIT-Mumbai.
Further, the introduction of every train and every stoppage into this zero-based timetable is justified by operational need on a clean slate, hence zero-based.
But, such moves are now on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
How Would This Help?
While making the timetable, they have considered the criterion of a minimum of 50 people embarking and disembarking in a day for keeping a stoppage.
On that basis, more than 6,000 “unremunerative” stoppages may be removed, in order to make a room for more efficient running of trains, according to the sources.
While talking about the subject, the Chairman of Railway Board, VK Yadav said that the timetable will result in separate paths for passenger trains and goods trains.
Further, the new system will ensure separate dedicated time slots for the maintenance of trains and railway tracks.
Which is also known as “corridor blocks”, in which no traffic is allowed on a particular section for a certain amount of time.
Before this, Indian Railways used to observe corridor blocks many years ago but with the introduction of a large number of trains into the system, over a period of time, the practice became unviable.
When Will This New Time Table Be Functional?
According to Mr. Yadav, the new timetable will be implemented when normal train services are resumed.
While no need to panic to stoppage removal since if some stoppages are removed, the national transporter will ensure that there are other train services that serve those stops.
Apart from this, there are a number of initiatives of Indian Railways that are awaiting for the normal resumption of train services.
One of them is the “Content on Demand” service and approximately 5,000 long-distance train services are likely to get this service.
With the use of this service, during the train journey, railway passengers can stream content on their devices.