Fire mishaps bring to fore poor rail health, disregard for safety on trains

Hyderabad: On December 21, staff members of the railway pantry were found smoking by an elderly passenger of the Hyderabad-Mumbai Hussainsagar Express. The passenger, who wanted to use the toilet, caught the men (still in uniform) smoking right outside the toilet area of the B1 air-conditioned coach.

Even when rebuked by the passenger, the men paid no heed. Most of the other passengers were fast asleep and none of the railway police personnel were around. Having no one to lodge a complaint with (the ticket checker too was not available), the elderly passenger merely returned to his berth and went back to sleep.

The fire accident on the Bangalore-Nanded Express only shows that people — both passengers and railway staff — need to be aware and not resort to such mischief. It is very important for passengers to be pro-active and report risky behaviours on trains.

While the senior citizen onboard the Hussainsagar Express was unaware of this, the South Central Railways has set up a system whereby an SMS can be sent to 8121281212 to lodge a complaint. Railway officials said the service operates round-the-clock. When a complaint is lodged by an SMS, the staff and the police on the train are alerted.

Mishaps bring to fore poor rail health

While the short circuit resulting in the fire mishap on the Bangalore City Nanded Express on Saturday brought to fore multiple questions about safety parameters being ignored in trains, the bad financial health of the Railways and shortage of critical safety spares are indicated to be the reasons for the past few fire mishaps in the southern part of the country.

Moreover, mishaps related to derailments, collisions as well as sabotage have all left behind a trail of recommendations from the inquiry reports of safety commissioners and special committees.
Despite several train mishaps, some key recommendations, like surveillance cameras inside all coaches, are yet to be followed.

In many previous accidents over the last five years, a need for improved coordination, technology-aided train examinations, advanced signaling systems, high quality fire-resistant PVC flooring, interior paneling, ceiling upholstery and use of modernised designing of coaches, has been identified.

While the South Central Railway has initiated the advanced signaling system project, most of the other zones are yet to implement these measures. Insiders say that the financial health of the Railways is to be blamed. Also, the usage of modern technology in inspections, ambush checks on drivers and of safety measures were recommended.

As per the report of the High-Level Safety Review Committee (2012), formed by the railway ministry: “The present environment in the Railways across zones reveals a grim picture largely due to poor infrastructure, lack of resources and lack of empowerment at the functional level.”

The Committee had recommended that introduction of new passenger trains without commensurate inputs to infrastructure be stopped. It has been pointed out that the Research Design and Standards Organisation, which is the apex technical wing, is highly constrained due to many reasons.

“This has hampered the system’s ability to internalise new emerging technologies. Indigenous development has not progressed with today’s needs and there is a need for restructuring,” said the report.

Next: Long-distance trains infested by rats

Long-distance trains infested by rats

Hyderabad: Long-distance trains have been overrun by rats, even in air-conditioned coaches. Food eaten on trains and strewn around seems to be the reason. 

Since passengers tend to carry food on long distance journeys, these trains seem to attract the most rats, railway officials say.

Senior Railways  spokesman Sambhasiva Rao explained, “The problem is that passengers don’t discard leftovers and tend to keep them in the train itself. Their smell attracts rats.”

A senior officer added, “The railway yard and stations are the places from where rats enter. The areas around most railway stations are very dirty despite cleanliness drives.

SCR claims that they kill 700 rats every month in the AC coaches of trains that cross their maintenance yard. 

AC coaches are disinfected and fumigated once in 15 days while for others, it is done  once a month. Gluepad cages are also placed below berths to trap rats. However, until the trains and the surroundings are rendered clean and hygienic, rats will continue to infest coaches.

Short circuit causes panic on train

Vijayawada: A short circuit on the Jagrithi Yatra train on Monday evening created panic at the railway station here.

With the fear of fire mishaps looming large over passengers following the recent fire on the Bangalore-Nanded Express, Monday’s incident scared passengers and railway officials.

The incident took place when the train was stationed on Platform No. 6. After officials noticed smoke from an AC compartment, railway staff took the train away from the platform and mana-ged to avert a mishap.

A short circuit from a   plug box to which a TV was connected is said to be the cause behind the smoke. While the media  wasn’t allowed on the premises, it is known that  Jagrithi Yatra TVs were set up temporarily as it was a special train.