TWEETS @singhvirat246
Monica slipped onto the tracks after falling off a crowded train because of the gaping hole between the train’s footboard and the platform. The Central Railway had four years ago written to the Railway Board, seeking permission to raise the height of platforms in Mumbai to 92 cm (36.22 inches) as against the nationally prescribed 76-84 cm (30-33 inches).
The logic was simple – prescribed height of platforms across the country was decided with passenger trains in mind. But Mumbai locals are very different on two counts – one, like passenger trains, locals don’t have steps to board and alight; two, locals stop at a station only for 15 seconds, leading to a mad frenzy to board and alight, and that is when a lot of accidents occur.
In the four years that the Railway Board has been sitting on the proposal, nearly 10,000 lives have been lost to accidents on the tracks in Mumbai and probably an equal number have suffered grievous injuries. According to a senior railway official, who did not wish to be identified, at least 10 per cent of these accidents involved the killer gap between local trains’ footboards and platforms.During peak rush hour, a Mumbai local carries 5,500 passengers, that’s nearly3,500passengersexcess.People falling off the trains because of overcrowdingisnotuncommon.Butamajority of accidents take place while boarding and alighting.
The average gap between a local’s footboard and the platform is 14 to 18 inches.Withanaveragestepinhouses and offices measuring 5 to 8 inches, the killer gap on Mumbai locals is as large as three to four steps.
The old trains with spring-coil suspension took care of the gap to a certain extent as Mumbai’s crazy passenger overload would push the trains down,closertoplatforms.Butthenew
Siemens rakes are not only taller, but their air-suspensions can take a lot more load and do not squat. Aquick survey carried out by Mumbai Mirror on Monday revealed that the gap between thefootboardandtheplatform in old rakes was an acceptable eight inches. But for Siemens
rakes, that are taller than the old trains, this distance is over 14 inches.
TheBombardierrakes,thatarecurrently undergoing trials, will only aggravate the problem because they are taller than even their Siemens counterparts. The Western Railway, which will soon have both Seimens and Bombardier rakes, recognised the gravity of the problem last year and sought a condonation for Mumbai from the Railway Board – in common English that’s a request that an exception be made ignoring all norms and procedures. That request now has been pending for five months.
“WR is concerned about the commuter inconvenience and safety. As we have Siemens rakes and will soon introduce Bombardier rakes too, we have requested Railway Board for condonation. We have carried out trials with help of Research, Designs and Standards Organisation with 92 cm platforms last year,” said WR chief PRO Sharat Chandrayan.
But the Railway Board can’t also be blamed alone. Almost all stations in Mumbai service both local and longdistance trains. Raising heights of platforms could create risks for passenger trains.
The Central Railway, in fact, raised the height of platforms at CST station to 92 cm and the results have been excellent. “We were able to do it at CST because here there are dedicated suburban platforms,” said an official, explaining that a durable solution to the problem will be a complete segregation of platforms for long-distance trains and local trains.
But that may take years. Till then Mumbai seems to be condemned to live with the killer gap.
A woman tries to board a train at Churchgate station on Monday. (Inset) Monica More, 16, who lost her arms when she slipped onto the tracks through the gap between the train and the plotform at Ghatkopar last Saturday
MP Kirit Somaiya measures the gap between a train’s footboard and the platform at Ghatkopar station
No comments:
Post a Comment