5,710 trains delayed due to Trade Union Action: Dept.of Railways

A total of 5,710 train delays have occurred due to strike actions taken by trade unions last year, a report issued to the Transport Minister by the Railways Department said.

According to the report, a total of 9,718 train delays had occurred during the last year.

The report was issued by the Railways Department following a request made by Transport Minister Mahinda Amaraweera due to the increased number of complaints received from commuters over frequent train delays.

Insufficiency of locomotives and compartments, technical failures, not having enough locomotive drivers and driver assistants, signal failures, bad weather, rail track maintenance and trade union action were mentioned as some of the contributory factors for train delays in the report.

According to the report, 1,495 trains had been delayed due to the unavailability of locomotives and 435 delays had occurred due to the unavailability of compartments.

A total of 164 train delays had occurred due to the lack of locomotive drivers while 108 delays had occurred due to derailments.

Meanwhile, 250 trains had been delayed due to special train assignments and 103 due to engine trouble. The report said 28 incidents had occurred due to the insufficiency of train guards and 25 due to locomotive engine technical issues; 91 delays due to not having enough commuters, 51 delays due to signal failures, 32 delays due to bad weather and 318 delays due to other reasons.

After considering the report, Minister Amaraweera said it is the responsibility of the Department of Railways to provide a continuous service to the commuters. He also said the most important thing about public transport was the train service.