Railways may be touted as the lifeline of Mumbaikars but it miserably fails to provide safe travel to over millions of commuters that constitutes city’s floating population

Jawed Khurshid

The derailment of a Kalyan-bound local train near Dombivli has proved the much touted Central Railway’s claims to provide safe journey hollow.

More than 90 suburban trains were cancelled and 31 diverted after a canopy caved-in and fell over a local stationed at Currey Road station near CST during the evening peak hours, inconveniencing thousands of commuters.

The Commissioner of Railway Safety (Central circle) is conducting an inquiry into the incident. Though having potential to cause wider damage, the accident did not result into any casualty.

Trains – both locals as well as, long distance, frequently get derailed that shows the poor maintenance of tracks on this around fifty-three kilometer stretch, between Kalyan and Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus.

WR is no better than the CR. A spate of derailments have pockmarked its chequered history too.  

A major accident was averted on the western route this year after two trains came close on the same track between Santa Cruz and Khar a few months back. A Western Railway (WR) source said either the Rajdhani Express or a local train met with point failure, because of which one was being pulled back while the other was moving forward.

A fast moving local train derailed this year after its wheels slipped from the tracks in between Borivali and Kandivali railway stations, officials said. However, nobody was injured in the incident, the railway officials said. Two wheels of third coach from rear of Bhayander-Dadar fast carrying passengers had run off the tracks.

A fast local derailed between Kurla and Sion last year. Though no fatalities took place, the railways identified the culprit: poor maintenance of track.

On condition of anonymity, a CR official said the poor maintenance as well as replacement of rolling stocks and rails is behind most of the similar accidents.

According to an expert, the trains are five-times more overloaded than its permissible limit which also makes it vulnerable to derailments.