India: The Indian Railways is using a drone for the first time in its history, to inspect a mega rail project to assess the progress on the ground. The UAV was used to inspect the ongoing work on the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) project. According to the plan, the UAV will also be used to monitor other under-construction schemes.
The decision was also taken to assess the ground situation in the aftermath of train accidents. The drone was used for three days on a trial basis to cover the total 98 km on the DFC. The status report was prepared after the analysis of video recordings. The drone was hired from a private operator and cost Rs 3,000 per km.
"We used a drone to ascertain the progress on the 42 km long track between Baghega to Srimadhopur in Rajasthan in the Western DFC and also the 56 km long line between Durgawati and Sasaram in Bihar," DFC Managing Director Adesh Sharma said.
"It becomes easier and faster to prepare the status report of an ongoing project through drone. Field work can be monitored from the office using the drone footage," said Mr Sharma.
Currently, there are about 170 projects, including doubling and laying of new lines, are being executed by railways.
Source: Catch News
