As Western Line loses its hard-earned reputation of clock-work efficiency WR ready with Rs 40-cr plan to eliminate delays Bottlenecks have been identified at Borivali, Andheri and Dadar. Work to resolve these starts in month’s time

Virat A Singh virat.singh@timesgroup.com 

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    The Western Railway (WR) has lined up three ambitious projects to cut recent train delays that have made the everyday commute a nightmare for lakhs of Mumbaikars. 
    The suburban network, which until last year prided itself on its punctuality, has been facing 10 to 20-minute delays since March, when it increased the number of services. The delays result from a host of bottlenecks exposed by the increased frequency, from complex track alignment, narrow platforms to outdated signalling. 
    Now, railway officials have decided to solve the problems at three major stations — Borivali, Andheri and Dadar — as part of what they are calling one of WR’s biggest suburban overhauls. 
    The three projects will involve remodelling of tracks on the Dahisar-Borivali stretch and on Andheri section, and widening of a platform at Dadar, two major engineering challenges on a transit system cramped for space. WR BOTTLENECKS 
“We are finalising details of the projects that will help decongest the suburban network,” said Divisional Railway Manager Shailendra Kumar. “The work will be carried out over the next two years. The tender for Borivali has been issued.” 
    Among the city’s three train networks –– Main, Harbour andWestern—WR was considered the best, mainly because of its punctuality. That changed after it increased the number of daily train services from 1,051 to 1,305, and reduced the time between two train arrivals to three minutes from four. Now, 50 to 60 trains run behind schedule daily. 
    “Our main focus now is to improve the timings, so commuters are not inconvenienced,” Kumar said. The track remodelling projects planned for Borivali, Andheri and Dadar stations may begin as early as next month. The work will speed up movement of trains on these crucial sections. 
    “At Borivali, two south-bound trains currently cannot enter platform 5 and 6 simultaneously. One train has to wait,which has a knock-on effect on other services,”asenior WR official said. The problem is caused by the alignment of the crossover, the point where two sets of rails converge, before Borivali. “The shifting of this crossover towards Dahisar will speed up entry of trains at Borivali,” the official said. 
    A similar exercise will be carried out at Andheri and Dadar. “There are many crossovers near Andheri, which force north and south-bound trains to slow down,”hesaid.AtDadar, south-bound fast trains face delays because their designated platform, No 4, is narrow. Also, overcrowding at the platform forces trains to halt longer, delaying services. The platform will be widened after realignment of tracks.

TRAIN COLLISION AVERTED Motorman taken off duty after he jumps red signal

Somit Sen TNN 

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Mumbai: A motorman of a Western Railway train jumped a signal between Churchgate and Marine Lines stations on Saturday. Had the auxiliary warning system (AWS) not stopped the train immediately after the violation, it would have collided with another local that was switching tracks at that time. 
    The train left Churchgate at 10.31am and within two minutes, as it crossed from platform 4 to 3, the motorman, identified as Shaikh Ansar, breached signal 831 near the Marine Lines station. The local overshot the red light, coming in the way of an oncoming local, which 
was switching from platform 2 to 4. The auxiliary warning system (AWS), installed on trains as well as tracks, stopped the first local immediately, averting a collision that could have risked the lives of commuters on both trains. 
    While passengers said the train remained stuck on the tracks for 25 minutes till the signal was rectified, a railway spokesperson claimed the incident did not affect services. 
    The motorman has been taken off duty. Railway officials said on Sunday an inquiry was “still being conducted”. “We are trying to ascertain the reason behind the violation,” a senior official said. Sources said usually the motorman and the guard are both sent for blood tests to see if they were drunk. 
    Saying there have been very few incidents of trains passing a stop signal without officals’ nod, a WR official said they had “adequate measures to rule out collisions following signal jumping”. Under AWS, a motorman is alerted if a train breaches a signal. “Even if he fails to stop the local, the train automatically comes to a halt within 100m,” he said.

Wi-fi plan at CR suburban stns, on trains. As soon as a commuter with a smartphone enters a suburban station on CR, a pop-up will appear on his cell that will display the real-time status of trains (through trainenquiry.com

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—Manthan K Mehta 

Mumbai: Commuters can get wi-fi service at stations and in moving trains if railway authorities approve plans of a cellular firm, which wants to offer the technology by piggybacking on Central Railway’s initiative that allows real-time tracking of trains on smartphones. 
    A cellular firm has approached CR’s Mumbai divisional office with a proposal that will allow commuters to use wi-fi. An official explained, “As soon as a commuter with a smartphone enters a suburban station on CR, a pop-up will appear on his cell that will display the real-time status of trains (through trainenquiry.com). The commuter can use the service for say, five minutes, to track the position of trains. If he wants to use wi-fi for longer, he will have to pay for it.”

Family in stalled train takes shortcut, run over.“During peak hours, there are several long-distance trains which leave from CST and they occupy platforms. If an incoming passenger train is delayed and there’s non-availability of platforms, it may be moved to a loop line. Suburban trains would be given precedence over it. But under no circumstances should commuters get off and cross tracks.” GRP officials said that the Bhusawal PASSENGER is regularly SENT to the LOOP line where it HALTS FOR OVER AN HOUR, prompting many commuters to get off and cross the tracks despite it being ILLEGAL.

Nitasha Natu TNN  http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2013/10/19&PageLabel=10&EntityId=Ar01000&ViewMode=HTML Mumbai: Three members of a family were killed on Thursday night after they got off a long-distance train and decided to take a shortcut across the tracks at Byculla. A suburban local knocked down Hussain Hawaldar (65), his wife Fatima (50) and daughter Zahra (22). The family had been walking adjacent to the railway tracks and not on them. GRP officials said the trio suffered massive head and facial injuries, which killed them on the spot. They did not sustain injuries on the rest of the body.      The Hawaldars were natives of Banswara in Rajasthan. They were visiting friends at Vasind in Maharashtra. Around 6.15pm on Thursday, they boarded the Bhusawal Passenger from Vasind station. The train terminates at CST. “At 8pm, the train reached Byculla and was halted on a loop line (which leaves a main line and then rejoins it later continuing in the same direction). Nearly 20 minutes later, when the train had not resumed its journey, Hussain, Fatima and Zahra decided to get off and walk down the short distance to Byculla where they had some work,” said senior inspector Surendra Deshmukh, CST GRP. Around 8.20pm, a CST-bound local hurtled in their direction. “The  trio craned their necks to get a better look. The motorman honked repeatedly on spotting the family. By the time he could halt, three bogies of the train had crossed the point where the trio stood. They were hit on their faces,” Deshmukh added.      The motorman got off and carried the bodies into the local. The train was detained for 20 minutes. At CST, he informed the GRP. Fatima was Hussain’s third wife. Hussain had two sons, Mohammad (40) and Murtuza (27) from his first wife who passed away. He then married a second time and had a daughter (Zahra). Hussain and Fatima were looking for a groom for Zahra.      On Friday, Mohammad and Murtuza flew to Mumbai and claimed the bodies. They are both employed at garment stores in Kuwait.      GRP officials said that the Bhusawal Passenger is regularly sent to the loop line where it halts for over an hour, prompting many commuters to get off and cross the tracks despite it being illegal.      A CR spokesperson said, “During peak hours, there are several long-distance trains which leave from CST and they occupy platforms. If an incoming passenger train is delayed and there’s non-availability of platforms, it may be moved to a loop line. Suburban trains would be given precedence over it. But under no circumstances should commuters get off and cross tracks.”  Youth killed A 22-year-old youth was killed while crossing the railway tracks near platform 2 of Ghatkopar station on Friday. The deceased hasn’t been identified yet. He was knocked down by a Thane-CST local around 12.30pm.

Prototype of stain-proof local train finally arrives

Manthan K Mehta TNN 

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Mumbai: The prototype of the new-generation stainless steel-bodied rakes finally arrived in the city on Wednesday, but it will take a while before these coaches are put into service on the Mumbai suburban network as they will first undergo trial runs. 
    The 12-car electric multiple unit is the first of the 72 rakes to be supplied to the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) for both Western and Central railways as part of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project-II (MUTP-II) to modernize the fleet and traction system, and augment services. It can run at a maximum speed of 120 kmph, as against 100 kmph of the present Siemens rakes. 
    These new-age purple coaches are energy-efficient, have better seats, interior lighting and broader windows. The electrical fitting have been provided by Bombardier Transportation and are compatible to run on 25 KV Alternating Current Traction. The rake will be first introduced on Western Railway as it has already switched to 25 Kv AC traction, said a railway official. 
    “We hope to complete the trials as soon as possible so that inspection certificate from the Research Standards and Designs Organization can be in place by January 2014. We hope to get the two prototype rakes into service by March 2014,” said a senior railway official. Once all approvals are received from the commissioner of railway safety, work on manufacturing three-four rakes can begin by April-May 2014. All this is possible only if there are no glitches during the trial runs. 
    The much-awaited rakes were flagged off from the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai on October 1, and should have reached Mumbai in seven days, but the arrival got delayed due to the Telengana agitation in Andhra Pradesh. 
    The prototype was originally scheduled to arrive in the city before March 2013, but delay in getting approval for the designs and other technical issues pushed ahead the date. 
    The World Bank, which is financing the MUTP-II, had also expressed unhappiness over missing the deadline on delivery of prototype on several occasions.

STAIN 0N KHAKI GRP fleeces labourers carrying tobacco

Nitasha Natu TNN  http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2013/09/24&PageLabel=2&EntityId=Ar00200&ViewMode=HTML Mumbai: The Government Railway Police (GRP) has instituted an inquiry into an incident in which two of their personnel allegedly knocked off money from five Guwahati-bound labourers near the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) recently.      The labourers were found carrying a small quantity of tobacco, which is a banned substance in the state. The cops then refused to consider  their identity cards as valid on the pretext that they weren’t issued in Maharashtra and threatened the men with action. A scribe who witnessed the goings-on wrote to the top GRP brass.      “I have been intimated about the incident and we are inquiring into it,” confirmed additional director general (GRP) T S Bhal.      The incident took place on September 20. The four labourers work at a construction site in Pen, Raigad district. They wanted to board a train to their hometown from LTT. While they were on the path connecting Tilak Nagar station to LTT, two uniformed cops at a GRP desk asked them to halt. The cops checked their baggage and frisked the labourers. A small quantity of tobacco was found on them.      “The labourers declared that the tobacco was for consumption. The cops then asked them to produce identification. At this, the labourers produced two election cards issued in Guwahati. But the cops declared these as invalid on the pretext that the Maharashtra government hadn’t issued them. The labourers were dumbfounded as they did not have separate IDs for Maharashtra,” said scribe, N Pandey, an eyewitness. “The GRP personnel then threatened to take action against the labourers who pleaded with them. Eventually, they were allowed to go after paying up Rs 600.”      Pandey video-recorded a conversation with one of the labourers, Moti Roshan. Roshan said he and his coworkers couldn’t file a complaint as they would miss their train. Pandey then gave a complaint in writing at the stationmaster’s office in Tilak Nagar and also informed the GRP helpline.      For purpose of sale, distribution, manufacture and storage of tobacco, an offender can be prosecuted under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.      Senior policemen confirmed that a government-issued identity card from any Indian state is valid proof of identity.  KNOW YOUR RIGHTS  Government Railway Police can check your luggage on reasonable suspicion  You can be charged for carrying unaccounted cash or jewellery, arms, explosives, narcotics or banned items such as tobacco  The GRP is not authorized to check the contents of your cellphone      A government-issued identity card from any Indian state can be produced as valid proof of identity      If a cop’s behaviour is objectionable, you can file a written complaint at the nearest railway police station or the deputy commissioner’s office 1 2 GRP men accost 5 labourers about to board a train from LTT 2 They find a small amount of tobacco on them 3 Not accepting voter IDs issued in Assam, they demand a bribe 4 An eyewitness tells the group to complain, but they refuse

‘Stretches in SoBo, central Mumbai most unsafe on WR’

Nitasha Natu TNN 

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Mumbai: Stung by repeated instances of attacks on woman commuters, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) has identified vulnerable stretches on Western Railway (WR). 
    Most of these locations are in south and central Mumbai. The RPF will be cracking down on drug addicts and beggars in these stretches. 
    “The most sensitive stretch identified in the survey is the Marine Lines-Mumbai Central belt. Maximum deployment of RPF personnel is being made here. After that comes the stretch between Mahalaxmi and Dadar,” a senior official said. 
    “Office-goers throng the Mahalaxmi to Dadar belt during weekdays. But the belt is not as crowded on Sundays and public holidays,” the official added.For its “zero tolerance” drive, train ticket examiners have been roped in. “We want to ensure that not a single drug addict or beggar is present at the stretches ranked most sensitive. We do not want woman commuters to feel unsafe,” said senior RPF divisional security commissioner (WR) Rajendra Rupnawar. Nearly 1,500 drug addicts and beggars were rounded up by the Government Railway Police on WR and CR lines after a US national was mugged recently. 
    RPF’s woman squads have been interacting with female commuters on WR and briefing them about the helplines and how it is necessary for them to intervene in case a co-passenger is in distress. “We are facing an urgent personnel crisis,” an RPF official pointed out. “In order to guard areas outside each ladies compartment on platforms between Churchgate to Virar, we need 765 men in a single shift, assuming that only 12-coach rakes ply,” he added. 
CRACKDOWN ON MISCREANTS RPF CAMPAIGN At sensitive stretches, beggars and drug addicts will not be allowed to remain on station area premises 
Train ticket examiners will be enlisted for enforcement 
WR’S SENSITIVE STRETCHES Marine Lines-Mumbai Central 
Mahalaxmi-Dadar 
WOMEN UNDER ATTACK Aug 18 
US national Michelle Marks (24) is mugged by a drug addict between Marine Lines and Charni Road stations. Rajkumar Tiwari (31) is nabbed in connection with assault July 27 
A nurse is molested in a 5.41am local at Mahalaxmi after GRP escort missed train.Commuters catch assailant May 2 
Acid is flung at Delhi native Preeti Rathi after she alights at Bandra Terminus. Rathi succumbs to injuries after month. Pawankumar Gehlaun is arrested and later secures bail