In the recent budget, the Railway Minister gave a token amount Rs 1,000 each to the Western and Central Railway to commence installation work for simulators at their respective centres to impart virtual training to motormen who drive 190-odd local trains in the city
This year, CR was the first to receive the said amount and its officials would be installing a simulator worth about Rs 12.24 crore at the Kurla carshed. The officials claimed that simulators would help them monitor reflexes of motormen during their time in the cabin.
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Some of the features the simulators would be sporting are signalling system, crossovers and level-crossings, hand-eye coordination, looking at the signals and speed restrictions, trespassing commuters, level crossings, trains passing by, on time acceleration or deceleration of a train, and other essential things usually done by the motormen on the suburban section.
Though the WR too received Rs 1,000, the amount was too less than what it was allocated last year, which was Rs 46,000. WR officials said a few technical issues delayed the commencement of installation work. The estimated cost of installing a simulator at the Mahalax-mi workshop was pegged at Rs 8.75 crore. Motormen claimed they have been demanding an upgraded training pattern for a long time now. Besides the ones operating trains on the suburban section, those motormen steering the monorail are being trained on such simulators in Malaysia.