|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 6 June 2004 |
 |
|
 |
News |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Railway off the rails by Anton Nonis Transport Minister, Felix Perera has called for an urgent discussion with the Finance Ministry to seek funds for urgent upgrading of the railway system before any major disaster strikes. This move follows the five derailments in quick succession last week and the warning by railway officials that urgent steps needed to be taken. Minister Perera told the `Sunday Observer' that investigations have revealed that nothing had been done in the railway for nearly three years for its uplift to make it safe for public transportation. Maintenance of tracks and other repairs on the coaches and locomotives that were imperative, had been overlooked or ignored. Probes conducted by the railway engineers have indicated that the tracks are weak at many points which had necessitated to order 626 speed restrictions along its 1091 km stretch. According to the General Manager (Operations), K.A. Premasiri, the restrictions had increased by 151 over the previous two years. This indicates there is a speed restriction for every one-and-half kilometres of track and implies that 57 per cent of the track is not in running condition. According to General Manager Railways, Priyal de Silva, the department has been struggling to put issues straight by urging for necessary funds over the past two years without success. He said that railway material including ballastics, clips, sleepers and spare parts for the coaches and locomotives are in short supply. "We, however, manage to run the trains under trying conditions," de Silva said. It is identified that the run from Rambukkana to Badulla, a distance of 207 km, is impregnated with the highest number of speed restrictions of 246, indicating limitations every half kilometre or so. Likewise, Kandy-Matale line, a 33 km stretch too is equally worse with 40 speed restrictions. Other lines with substantially high restrictions are 173 km. Polgahawela-Vavuniya with 102 restrictions and the 159 km Colombo-Matara with 68 restrictions. Minister Perera said that the State Timber Corporation had refused to provide sleepers logs to the railway due to a payment of Rs.446 million yet outstanding. But the train drivers tend to touch high speed beyond the recommended limit, which the minister pointed out was due to malfunctioning of speedometers, which have been earmarked for remedial action. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
