Slow renewal of tracks causing derailments

Security in Railways”. However, the progress of track renewals has come down constantly due to cash crunch. According to the report, around 5,000 km of track length are due for renewal at present.

Tracks are the most crucial part of railway operations. As per the report “Safety Performance ( 2015-16)”, tracks form the backbone of the railway transportation system and therefore need to be maintained in a safe and fit condition. “To this end, it is essential to carry out not only track maintenance operations, but also to renew the tracks as and when it becomes due for renewal,” the report reads. The renewal of tracks is carried out under the Depreciation Reserve Fund (DRF).

Sources said that the Railways, over a period of time, have upgraded the track structure. It has gone in for long welded rails (which can be seen in case of Delhi Metro), thus reducing the number of joints. “A joint has a weak area where a failure may cause an accident. Besides, Indian Railways is also regularly doing the ul- 2011-12 trasonic testing of rails and has gone in for large scale mechanised maintenance of the track,” said a source. However, the renewal of tracks did not get much attention.

There is a well laid system of railway tracks. Tracks are inspected daily on foot by “keymen”. Field officials inspect the tracks by travelling on push/motor trolleys. Senior engineers inspect the tracks by using push trolleys at least once a fortnight. A senior engineer inspects the tracks at least once a month.

Realising the gravity of the situation in the wake of a series of derailments, Piyush Goyal, who took charge as the new Minister of Railways on Sunday, has asked the Railway Board to divert the tracks marked for the construction of new lines to those stretches that are prone to accidents and where replacement and renewal are due. He has also directed Railway Board officials to expedite the procurement of new rails to complete the laying of tracks in pending projects and elimi- nate unmanned level crossings within a year.

This week, three trains jumped their tracks in different incidents, including in Delhi. Last month, 14 coaches of the Kalinga-Utkal Puri Haridwar Express derailed in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar, killing at least 23 people and leaving scores injured. Three days later, nine coaches of the Delhi-bound Kaifiyat Express derailed in the Auraiya district of Uttar Pradesh after it collided with a dumper, which had strayed on to the tracks, leaving around 100 passengers injured.