Mishaps re-focus attention on Railways’ long-term issues

New Delhi, August 23 All accidents raise the question: Could they have been avoided? And the recent derailments in Uttar Pradesh are no exceptions.

Hard questions

The derailment of the Puri-Haridwar Kalinga Utkal Express near Khatauli in UP raises for the Commisionerate of Railway Safety — North questions such as: why did the loco pilot not slow or stop near Khatauli if there was an ongoing track maintenance? Was there an ongoing maintenance that he was not communicated about or were there speed restrictions that he was unaware of? Did the maintenance officials seek time for traffic blocks (time periods when track maintenance is carried out)? If yes, were they provided? If not, why was maintenance still being carried out? Is there an automatic way to ensure signals went on? If this was so, why could neither the loco pilot nor the guard see the signal?

The accident has created enough public pressure for Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu to demand fixing of

prima facie responsibility within hours, a move that led to several top officials, including a Rail Board member, being asked to go on leave, and suspension of several officials. But the question still remains: Can ‘exemplary punishment’ prevent such accidents?

As the Indian Railways embarks on a modernisation and restructuring drive, an official wondered: “Is safety a core or non-core function for the Railways? Is security a core or non-core function?”

House panel report

Shouldn’t the priority list of the Indian Railways, which moves some 2.2 crore passengers every year, include adequate funds and good working conditions, while allowing for track maintenance, or allowing cancellation of trains to ensure safety?

Answers have not been forthcoming. Now, even the parliamentary Railway Convention Committee (RCC), in areport tabled in the Lok Sabha this month, has raised similar concerns. It pointed to shortage of trackmen and non-utilisation of track maintenance machinery due to unavailability of blocks or time periods for track maintenance by blocking trains on the route.

During 2014-15 and 2015-16, there were 128 derailments of which 47 were due to poor maintenance or non-renewal of track, the committee said in its report.

Manpower shortage in the Railways is acute (50,608 trackmen vacancies). To top it, the Railways is unable to utilise the track machines as the lines are over-saturated with traffic and availability of assured blocks has become a problem, according to the report.

Also, there is need for regular maintenance schedules. “There are tracks, signals and overhead electrical wires that form part of fixed infrastructure, for which there are daily and regular maintenance schedules. There can be failures in these which is why there are also preventive maintenance schedules. Moreover, for tracks, there are supposed to be daily patrolling schedules, apart from processes that are supposed to be followed when problems are found,” said Mohd Jamshed, Member-Traffic, Railway Board.

The Railways is on track of the issues, but when and how will it solve them?