NCRTC Conducts Security Mock Drills to Test Emergency Preparedness*

 *NCRTC Conducts Security Mock Drills to Test Emergency Preparedness*

Passenger safety has always been a priority for NCRTC and to ensure this, extensive arrangements have been made for the safety of passengers in Namo Bharat train and stations. Along with this, to ensure the safety of passengers in every type of emergency, and assess emergency preparedness and response efficiency regular security mock drills are conducted from time to time. As part of this ongoing effort, recently passenger safety mock drills were conducted between New Ashok Nagar and Anand Vihar underground station. In these mock drills, the operations team of Namo Bharat, quick response team and fire department team were deployed.

The drills focused on simulating real-life emergency scenarios, tested the response to a Fire Emergency and safe evacuation of commuters. In case of a fire emergency occurring inside a train while passing through the tunnel between New Ashok Nagar and Anand Vihar underground stations, passengers would be swiftly evacuated using the mid-ventilation shaft and cross-passages within the tunnel. The drill evaluated the entire process and the coordination between train operators, the control room, QRT, and the fire department—ensuring rapid response, safe and fast evacuation of passengers, and timely containment of the fire.

Along with this, in another mock drill, the process of using the emergency tripping switch in case of a Train's OHE breakdown at Anand Vihar station was tested. In event of an OHE breakdown at any station, the emergency tripping switch is operated by the train operation staff and the quick response team safely evacuates the passengers. By operating this emergency tripping switch installed in the control room, the power supply in the system is disconnected. This exercise reinforced the standard protocol for handling power disruptions efficiently.

The objective of these drills is to test preparedness, strengthen coordination between various disaster management agencies, and enhance response mechanisms for crisis situations. These exercises ensure that teams remain vigilant and ready to execute swift rescue and relief operations when needed. Additionally, as part of emergency preparedness, there is a provision of first aid at all stations. Additionally, train operators, train attendants and other station staff were also given first aid training to prepare them for an emergency. The operation team has also coordinated with the nearest hospitals of all Namo Bharat stations so that immediate medical assistance can be provided, if required.

NCRTC follows stringent safety protocols and conducts regular mock drills across the corridor, covering around 12 different emergency scenarios outlined in the Disaster Management Manual. These include situations such as Lift failures, Overcrowding at stations, Earthquakes, Train derailments, and Communication network failures.

Extensive arrangements have been made for the safety of passengers at Namo Bharat stations. Platform Screen Doors (PSD) have been installed on platforms of all stations to prevent any accidents, CCTV monitoring to monitor all passenger movements in trains and stations, strict security check of passengers and luggage by UPSSF/CISF at the entry gates to prevent entry of any unexpected/undesired object into the stations. So as to gather real-time information of Trains and Stations and initiate immediate action, whenever required, all Trains & Stations on the entire Namo Bharat Corridor are live monitored by Operation Control Centre. 

NCRTC is committed to providing a safe, efficient and reliable transport system for all passengers and constantly refining the safety protocols and conducting regular mock drills is an effort in this direction.