IoT based Accident Preventive Model for Unmanned Railway Gate

Abstract

Abstract: Railways serve as the most extensive mode of transport across the country, reaching even the most remote areas. However, accidents have been a significant concern for the Indian Railways. This work focuses on developing an automated system for closing and opening gates at railway crossings. Typically, these gates are operated manually by a gatekeeper, who receives information from the nearest station regarding the arrival of a train. Once a train leaves the station, the station master alerts the nearest gatekeeper to get ready to close the gates. This manual process introduces human error, which can be eliminated by implementing the proposed system. For instance, if a train is delayed, the gatekeeper may not receive immediate updates, resulting in prolonged gate closures and traffic issues near the crossing, causing inconvenience to the public. The proposed system addresses these issues by using infrared sensors to detect the train's approach and departure at the railway crossing. An ESP32 microcontroller controls the opening and closing of the gates using a mini servomotor installed near the gate. Additionally, the ESP32 module communicates with an IoT server called Blynk, allowing the gate to be remotely controlled by the loco pilot upon receiving a notification from the railway gate office.

Index Terms: Automatic Railway Gate Control, Infrared Sensors, ESP32 Microcontroller, Blynk IoT Platform, Train Detection System.