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| Sunday, 17 November 2002 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Trains derail: No fastening clips! by ANTON NONIS General Manager (Operations) K.A. Premasiri, told the Sunday Observer that there had been more than 30 derailments during the month of October. While some of the trains involved were of the passenger type, others were goods trains. Fortunately, there had been no victims in any of the incidents. However, the damage to the rolling stock was heavy, he said. The notorious sections for derailments as identified by the railway engineers were Galle-Matara, Maho-Vavuniya and the worst is, the Peradeniya-Hatton stretch. There had been over 15 derailments on the Peradeniya-Hatton stretch while the other two were with three and five derailments respectively. A total of 241 derailments from January to October including those in the railway yards. On an average, a derailment had occurred every day this year. A few of some of the major derailments were: the Badulla night mail on October 18 where train derailed while running over a bridge between Hatton and Rosella. Another derailment of a passenger train near Weligama on the Galle-Matara stretch on October 21. On October 30 in Moragollagama, Maho, with a goods train that had been carrying flour, where five wagons derailed. Udarata Menike express from Badulla to Colombo derailed at Yattalgoda, close to Alawwa on August 18, 2001. Fifteen passengers died while several were injured. "If weak tracks seem to be a main cause for derailments, the solution lies in strengthening them at those points. This may also require newly constructed sleepers fitted at those points. And, in the opinion of some railway officials that proper action have being taken. Some railway sources said that there are more than 200,000 concrete sleepers lying at Dematagoda yard. They say that these could be used to reinforce the weak sections of tracks. It has been learnt that this stock has been lying there for couple of years. Asked why the sleepers were not used, the General Manager of Railways, Priyal de Silva said that it was due to the non availability of fastening clips. "Funds were not available to import them," he said. But some sections in the railway question that if funds were not available to import the required clips, then why did the management proceed with the construction of such large number of sleepers. In the first instance, they should have planned the construction instead of letting such vast stocks accumulate and idle. Each concrete sleeper cost around Rs. 3,000, this stock reveals the amount of capital locked up. Whatever it is, the railway engineers have analysed that the present wet weather had also been a major cause in the derailments. It has aggravated the situation. With the onset of the intermonsoon, incessant rains were experienced during the past several days. Investigations have revealed that rain water has caused the loosening of soil underneath the rail tracks. Engineers say that weight of the train is liable to create a collapse of earth in that section which tends to lead to a derailment. Meanwhile, Meteorology Director N.A. Amaradasa said the intermonsoon which is in effect, has become active has given rise to the present rains. The intermonsoon which was effected in October, might on till mid December. Meteorologists predict more rain in the intermonsoon before it changes to the North-East monsoon. No doubt, there are various other factors too that would contribute to derailment of trains. However, weak rail tracks being another main cause that may lead to a derailment, it looks prudent to do everything possible to remedy the situation before it is too late. |
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