Metro Fire Safety: Analysis of Risk Factors and Mitigation Strategies

Rajdeep Barai

Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology,

Shibpur (Formerly Bengal Engineering and Science University)
Shibpur, Howrah-711103, West Bengal, India

ABSTRACT

Railways are considered the backbone of India's transportation system, and in the same
way, the metros, basically the underground railways, are considered as the backbone of the
urban transportation system in many cities worldwide. However, because of its confined
spaces and huge passenger density, it poses unique challenges in the event of a fire. This
research paper focuses on the critical aspects of metro fire safety, analyzing the potential
risks and developing innovative mitigation strategies and the process of their
implementations for ensuring passenger safety and operational resilience.

INTRODUCTION

Metros have made urban transportation very easy and convenient as it is one of the most
punctual ways of transportation and it is also very cheap. Day by day, the demand for
metros is increasing day by day and hence the government is also focusing on more metro
networks. However as most of the Indian metro networks belong to the underground, thus
it becomes very tough to operate and provide facility in case of any kind of emergency.
Especially in case of any fire hazard, it becomes very tough to stop the fire because of its
confined operation area and limited entrance opportunities.

Fire Safety Aspects in Indian Metros:

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  Passive Fire Protection: This includes elements like fire resistant construction
materials and smoke ventilation system to limit the spread of fire and emergency
gates to faster drills.
 Active Fire Protection: This includes fire detection sensors and alarm systems,
water sprayers, and portable fire extinguishers.

 Emergency Preparedness: This includes excavation plans, staff training, and

regular drill practice to ensure what to do if any kind of fire accidents take place.

These are major techniques that are commonly used in Indian metros to ensure fire safety.
But there are some loopholes also, let us discuss-
See, mostly all the fire protection facilities are provided in the metro stations, like water
sprayers, fire detection alarm systems, portable fire extinguishers, and all. Also, all the
metro staff are present in the stations only, so if anything happens between two metro
stations, then in that kind of scenario, we don’t have any impactful technique or facility to
ensure safety. Also in the trains, there is only a fire detection alarm system and portable
extinguishers are provided, so if fire hazards take place in a running train and that gets
stuck in the middle of two stations, passengers almost don’t have much to do.

So, these are some reasons that show us why it is very important to enhance the fire safety
system, especially in Indian metros.

Our Innovative Ideas to Ensure Better Fire Safety in Indian Metros

First of all, we need to understand what are the reasons for which fire can occur in metros.
There are several reasons for which any fire hazard can happen, and some of those are-

1. Electrical Fault (Short Circuit): Due to any misfitting of wires, low-quality electrical
components, irregular maintenance, etc., a short circuit can take place and hence fire
can occur.
2. Man-Made Fault: Either by mistake or intentionally any person can be the reason for
any fire hazard. This is almost impossible to stop because this is not in our hands, but
by increasing security in the metro stations, we can resist any fault made by humans to
some extent.

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 3. Other Reasons: Now, there can be some other uncommon reasons also, like leakage of
fire-catching gases, leakage of oil, etc.

Now we also need to understand or feel the situation of any fire hazard in the metro
Stations. See, if any fire hazard takes place, particularly at metro stations, then there we
have lots of facilities. As we already use fire-resistant construction materials to build metro
stations, there is almost no chance of spreading fire if there is no intention. So, in that kind
of scenario, we have a fire safety alarm system, that will help the metro boarders to know
that there is an emergency and they have station gates along with the emergency exits to
get out of the stations. There are security staff, who will be involved in resisting the fire
and informing the nearest safety authority. There are also ventilation systems through
which smoke can be ventilated.

But, the main point of concern is about the passengers traveling on the metro train. If any
fire hazard takes place in a running metro, then in that kind of scenario we have very less
facilities. We have a basic fire-detecting alarm system that will let the passengers and the
drivers know about the emergency, and some portable CO2-based fire extinguishers are
provided to stop the fire. Now, let me tell you a fact, in most of the fire accidents, it is
proved that smoke kills first and then fire burns the dead. And suppose due to some short
circuit, the train has stopped at the intermediate point of two stations, and the whole train
is getting covered with smoke, then what to do? This situation can easily occur, this is not
a rare case. So, in this kind of scenario, with the current facilities available in the metro
rails, it is very tough to save lives. And that is the focus of this paper. We have observed
the situations, visited the metro stations, understood the functioning of metros, and
analysed the design of the metro trains, and hence we have gathered some ideas that can
be implemented by upgrading some design factors and aspects of metro trains, and those
are-

1. Removing Fixed Windows and Providing Mechanically Operatable Windows:

See, as we have already discussed, in case of any fire hazards, smoke plays a major role in
the death of passengers. As we have fixed windows in the metro trains, smoke can’t get out
of the train in a fast manner, and that becomes the reason for suffocation to the passengers

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 and hence becomes the reason for death. So, to resolve this issue we want to introduce
“Mechanically Operatable Windows”.

These are basically the windows that can be opened and closed using a lever system having
almost the same mechanism as the car windows used to have. This will be very helpful in
excavating the smoke out of the train chamber and also help the passengers to get out of
the compartment at a faster rate.

Now one may think what if someone opens the window without any reason, for that we
will provide a monitoring system through which the drivers will be able to see the window
status like whether it is opened or closed, and the drivers will also be able to direct the
passengers about the same.

There is another major problem also and that is the third rail, which provides electricity to
the metro train. Now, if passengers go outside of the compartment and mistakenly get in
touch with that, then there will be a high chance of the death of the passengers. Now, to
resolve this issue, we will provide the above-mentioned facility only on one side of the
metro train and we will also let the passengers know that on the third rail side, there is a
danger of different types of stickers attached to the walls inside the metro compartments.

2. Emergency Ventilation System:

It can be another effective way of outsourcing the smoke. We know, electrically operated
chimneys suck the indoor air and ultimately exhale the air into the outdoors, now using this
principle, we can remove the smoke out of the metro train compartments very quickly. We
can simply install isolated chambers of chimneys and hence help in passing the gas out of
the chamber in a very quick and effective way.
Now this has some disadvantages also, and the major disadvantage is that if
somehow there is a power cut, then this system will become useless. So, to solve this issue,
we may introduce the “Emergency Battery Backup System”. Now, we already know that a
battery backup system is there in the metro trains, but that is not for the air conditioning
system. We have to introduce a separate battery backup system particularly to ensure the
power supply to the air conditioning system for a certain period.

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 3. Installation of Fire Extinguishing Balls:

This is a very effective and also comparatively cheaper way to resist fire. Fire extinguishing
balls are a portable fire extinguisher that essentially blasts in contact with fire and releases
a mass of chemical powder, which is a mix of mono-ammonium phosphate and ammonium
sulfate, with huge pressure and that extinguishes fire within 10 to 15 sq. ft. of area. So,
these balls can be put at a certain distance such that they cover the full area of the metro
train.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, we must admit that we have visited our nearby metro stations and talked
with the staff, passengers, and security persons. We observed the working procedure and
the safety facilities available in our Indian metro stations. We also talked with a chief
engineer of “Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation” and gathered precious knowledge from him.
So, we believe the above-mentioned ideas which we have got, can help in preventing fire
accidents and also will reduce the death rates in metro fire hazards.

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 REFERENCES

General Rules for Metro Railway with Subsidiary Rules and Appendices of The
Metro Railway, Kolkata - GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(RAILWAY BOARD) – July 2021

Disaster Management Manual (Metro Railway, Kolkata) – Chief Safety Officer,

Metro Railway Kolkata – March 2012

4.3.2 Existing Standard for Fire Fighting and Management of Metro – JICA Final Report
(Vol.3)

Accident Manual (Metro Railway, Kolkata) Revised Edition – March 2013

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