Trains falling into rivers and coaches catching fire will be common sights in the country’s first ‘Railways Disaster Management Village’ expected to come up on the outskirts of Bengaluru by December next year.

A senior official of the Railways Ministry said old rolling stocks will be used to replicate train accidents so that real-time rescue operations could be carried out to improve such efforts.

“It will be just like the mock drills carried out by security personnel. It will be as real as it can get,” he said.

The Railways has earmarked the 3.32-sq km village of Hejjala, with a population of 3,483 people, to develop its Disaster Management Institute and Safety Village at a cost of ₹44.42 crore, according to the blueprint accessed by PTI.

“For augmenting theoretical class-room training with practical hands-on exercise, a real environment for training in various conditions and scenarios of train accidents, a concept of safety village was envisaged,” it said.

Focussed effort

The focus is on imparting state-of-the-art training on rescue, medical relief and rolling stock restoration techniques in a classroom and also using various simulated teaching aids. However, it is the practical reproduction of accidents on site and the ensuing rescue operations that are being touted as the big ticket venture.

“For the practical training, tunnels, cuttings, embankments, other conditions and obstructions such as overhead structures and platforms are being created. For carrying out underwater rescue and relief operations, a water body is also being developed,” it said.

The village, about 25 km from Bengaluru, will also have a virtual reality centre for analysing railway accidents.

Construction work has begun and will be completed by December next year, it said.

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