Archive · 21 Dec 2025
DOST System Enhances Safety for Indian Railway Workers
Indian Railways has introduced a new system called DOST to keep trackside workers safe.
DOST is like a smart helper that tells workers when a train is coming, so they can stay out of harm's way.
It works on the cloud and sends alerts to workers' phones, so they don't have to rely on walkie-talkies or verbal messages.
Right now, DOST is being used by workers in four different railway sites, covering about 160 km of tracks.
In the future, it will be expanded to cover more stations and railway zones.
This is important because, in the past five years, many workers have lost their lives in train accidents while working on the tracks.
DOST helps to make sure that workers can do their jobs safely and go home to their families every day.
DOST is a real-time train approaching alert system developed by L2MRail to enhance the safety of trackside workers in Indian Railways.
The cloud-based system provides live updates on block section status, power failures, and other critical notifications, ensuring safer working conditions.
Currently, DOST is being used by over 700 workers in four railway sites, covering 160 km of tracks, with plans to expand to 17 Railway Zones and 7,000 stations in 2-3 years.
In the last five years, 361 railway workers have died in train accidents during maintenance work, highlighting the urgent need for enhanced safety measures.
DOST reduces reliance on manual communication methods like walkie-talkies, providing accurate and consistent notifications to maintenance gangs via smartphones.
- Who
- Indian Railway workers and L2MRail (Indian Institute of Science deep tech startup)
- What
- Implementation of DOST, a real-time train approaching alert generation system for trackside workers' safety
- When
- First commissioned on February 18, 2025; current status as of December 21, 2025
- Where
- Four sites in Southern Railways, South Western Railways, Western Railway, and East Coast Railway
- Why
- To enhance safety and reduce fatalities among trackside workers during maintenance activities
- System Name
- DOST (Delivering Occupational Safety on Track)
- Developer
- L2MRail (Indian Institute of Science deep tech startup)
- Function
- Real-time train approaching alert generation system
- Current Coverage
- 700 workers in four sites (Southern Railways, South Western Railways, Western Railway, East Coast Railway)
- Total Track Covered
- 160 km (16 block sections, each about 10 km)
- Future Plans
- Deployment in 17 Railway Zones and nearly 7,000 stations in 2-3 years
- Worker Fatalities in 5 Years
- 361 lives lost in train accidents during maintenance work