Rail-related incidents are on the rise in the country, even after which a fractured rail was located at Govandi in Mumbai, which was tied up with a cloth rag. But the Central Railway officials hastened to clarify that the cloth was only used as a marker.
According to reports, the incident took place on Tuesday at around 6.30 pm, where a rail fracture was reported between the suburban Govandi and Mankhurd stations on the Harbour Line. Railway officials said the rails had neither split nor separated, but only had a dent. Since it was the evening rush hour the CR officials quick fixed the gap by tying it with cloth rags. And after the rag was in place trains were allowed to run on slow speed.
CR’s chief PRO Sunil Udasi told Mid-Day, “The rail fracture was properly attended. Initially, it was clamped and the fishplate was intact. After this, the portion is required to be painted as marking for replacement of rail. Since the paint does not stick in the rain, the cloth was put as a marking instead. Trains were allowed at 10 kmph, as per the normal procedure, in the presence of the permanent way official. Safety was not compromised at all. Running on normal speed is permitted only after proper replacement of the rail. It’s reassured that there was absolutely no breach of safety. We’re fully committed to the safety of passengers.”
Services on all three lines of the suburban railway in Mumbai — Western, Central and Harbour — were severely hit by torrential rains yesterday.