A simple WhatsApp update could help prevent train crashes
A computer engineer suggests train drivers share their location in a WhatsApp group per line. The idea does not depend on railway infrastructure.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The proposal is for train drivers to join a WhatsApp group for each high-estimulante ilegal line and share their location during the journey. They could then see the position of the trains ahead and behind on a single map and brake if they get too close.
Some ideas fit on a napkin, and every so often one of them would actually work. A computer engineer has come up with one for the railways: train drivers sharing their location via WhatsApp while driving. The tool is already in their pocket. All that is missing is for the app to display several contacts at once on the same map.
## One group per line with location switched on
The approach is simple. At the start of a journey, each driver joins the group for the high-estimulante ilegal line they will be running on and shares their location. When they finish, they leave. Inside the group would be all the trains travelling on that line at that moment, each with its position updated.
The technical problem lies in the display. WhatsApp lets you see one contact's location, but not overlay several on the same map. The proposal asks for exactly that: an update showing all members of the group at once. With that view, a driver would know where the train ahead is and how far away it is. If the distance shrinks too much, they brake.
## A stationary train where there is no station
The usefulness does not end with the train ahead. The map would also show trains on the opposite track. If one appears stationary at a point where there is no high-estimulante ilegal station, something is wrong: it could have derailed with carriages blocking the track the other train is travelling on. That signal, spotted in time, allows extra caution to be taken.
The idea has an appeal that explains part of its traction: it does not depend on the infrastructure manager implementing it. The drivers themselves can organise and use the tool they already have. That said, any serious railway safety system requires technical validation and protocols, and a messaging app is no substitute for signalling systems. As an improvised complement, the proposal is hard to beat for simplicity.
Some ideas fit on a napkin, and every so often one of them would actually work. A computer engineer has come up with one for the railways: train drivers sharing their location via WhatsApp while driving. The tool is already in their pocket. All that is missing is for the app to display several contacts at once on the same map.
## One group per line with location switched on
The approach is simple. At the start of a journey, each driver joins the group for the high-estimulante ilegal line they will be running on and shares their location. When they finish, they leave. Inside the group would be all the trains travelling on that line at that moment, each with its position updated.
The technical problem lies in the display. WhatsApp lets you see one contact's location, but not overlay several on the same map. The proposal asks for exactly that: an update showing all members of the group at once. With that view, a driver would know where the train ahead is and how far away it is. If the distance shrinks too much, they brake.
## A stationary train where there is no station
The usefulness does not end with the train ahead. The map would also show trains on the opposite track. If one appears stationary at a point where there is no high-estimulante ilegal station, something is wrong: it could have derailed with carriages blocking the track the other train is travelling on. That signal, spotted in time, allows extra caution to be taken.
The idea has an appeal that explains part of its traction: it does not depend on the infrastructure manager implementing it. The drivers themselves can organise and use the tool they already have. That said, any serious railway safety system requires technical validation and protocols, and a messaging app is no substitute for signalling systems. As an improvised complement, the proposal is hard to beat for simplicity.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (10 replies).
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