Catching a ride on the lalle

by Sajitha Prematunge

How would you imagine people would feel if a powerset with five compartments is suddenly replaced by a Lalle (Timber) - a wooden train with only four compartments, during rush hour, and all the trains that are supposed to come afterwards are cancelled. I am talking from first hand experience and believe me it's awful. At 7.25 from Maharagama, holding on to a bar is not at all necessary, because there is no room space to fall to. Thousands of people are forced to travel this way because they don't have any other choice!

Sri Lankan trains never come on time any more. And the number of trains still in service is hardly enough. Unlike in several other countries there is almost always around ten minute time-gap between each train, and express trains are even more scarce.

This is not at all satisfactory specially during rush hour. Many people have died in the past few decades perhaps due to suffocation. No body wants to travel like this, but trains are the cheapest and fastest mode of transport. Being a developing country lots of money have been spent on fuel could have been saved if people used trains more often. Thousands of people take the trains to Fort every day and the numbers keep going up. and with sky rocketing bus fares the number is escalating by the day. But we still use trains and rail roads that have been in use for nearly hundred years.

Minister of Transport Dullas Alahapperuma explained to the Sunday Observer. "We took over a train service that was like a patient about to die." There were not enough engines or carriages. Only three engines have been incorporated in to the service after 1989. In fact since 1992 not even one carriage has been added.

Although 10 engines were purchased in 2001 from France out of which only three are in operation, because the rest do not 'fit into' our rail roads.

The minister called it a scam referring it as "freeway robbery". After Minister Dullas Alahapperuma assumed office his first Cabinet paper was to purchase 100 carriages from China, with 25 to roll on by the end of every month starting from July and ending in November.

Another irritating cause is the working pattern due to political interferences. The change in governments replace workers as a result of transfers and massive recruitment with the end result of a surplus of the casual labour and dearth of skilled labour. General Manager of Railways, Mr. Lalithasiri Gunaruwan told the Sunday Observer that the discipline within the Department has deteriorated. Minister Dullas Alahapperuma says he has already put a stop to this. The German Tech was specially established to supply technical workers, but for well over twelve years no one from the German Tech has been recruited. Although Rs. 150,000 is spent on each trainee, with 100 students accommodated each year.

The Minister said that the Railway Department has more land than even the Land Ministry. But most of these lands have been encroached upon by people with unauthorised structures 'okayed' by politicians. These structures are dangerously located near the tracks along the Kelany Valley line and the footboard passengers are at great risk.

Another major problem is the delays, which are attributed to deteriorated state of the tracks, especially on the eastern side. Some tracks are even without sleepers, says Minister Alahapperuma.

Other irritants are the obsolete signal system that is 26-year-old and the trade unions. Trains get delayed and/or cancelled because of signal failure. The Minister revealed that there are 124 trade unions in the department, out numbering the total of engines! But the department can not be blamed for this state of affairs because it is admittedly running at a loss.

Its annual revenue is around 2,500 million whereas the expenditure is 10,000 million, up a staggering annual loss of 7,500 million. But the Minister assured that they are not keen to increase the fare because, with the poor service it is providing. It is not at all fair by the commuters.

The General Manager, Gunaruwan pointed out that with the increase in bus fare, the Railways find it hard to cope with added passengers. "And this leads to a host of other problems," he explained. "People get used to riding on footboards and even on the roofs at times. We get involved in law suits when people die or get injured." He and the Minister are hoping to improve efficiency of the labour force by first working towards their contentment.

We were told that there's an old saying that "Trains are the only mode of transport blessed by God, because there is virtually no pollution, can transport a large number of people in one go, therefore, fuel efficient, plus no traffic congestion. But unfortunately we still rely on the century old legacy left behind by the British Empire.

Twenty years ago 20% of the population who used trains. But now it has trickled down to 6%. Trains are the cheapest form of transportation and it is pathetic that more and more money is spent on importing fuel when there could be a cheaper way. The development of train transportation would be for the benefit of all, especially Sri Lanka economy.