Train care centre in Chennai needs thorough ovehaul

CHENNAI: Early on Monday, just minutes after the horrific rail accident near Nellore, messages on rail safety blared out of the public address system at Chennai central. Less than halfa-kilometre away, at the Basin Bridge Train Care Centre, things were the way they have been for long — maintenance staff wading through filthy pit lanes to check the underside of trains and certifying them fit even before giving the train a decent look.
The pit lines at the centre, Southern Railway’s largest, are often full of water, slush and filth. “We don’t spend much time on checks. It can be dangerous, but there is nothing we can do. It stinks a lot. The rain water is mixed with drainage. We dread walking in knee-deep water,” said a staff member.
Everyday, about 24 trains or 1,000 coaches are certified for operation at the 21 pit lines. Last month, workers at the centre went on a flash strike after a colleague died. Officials promised to clear up the mess in a day, but nothing has changed.
The filth often gets into trains. Passengers have constantly complained about unclean toilets, rodents in compartments, soiled bed rolls, bed bugs, hanging electric wires and unserviced air-conditioners in almost every train.
Officials cite lack of adequate staff. A senior official said, “Railways provide huge mobility to millions of people everyday. It’s impossible to ensure every train is spic and span. We do our best to ensure passenger safety.” In the same tone, she added, “we tell people not to carry inflammable material like gas cylinders and lighters in coaches.” But passengers say, more than inflammables, it’s the hanging wires and poorly maintained airconditioners that cause fire inside coaches.
The railways, passengers say, is callous about safety. Every year, it promises to increase the network to match demand with supply. “Demand has been going up, so have new routes. But infrastructure hasn’t improved. The increasing incidence of accidents is a reflection of the government’s utter disregard for safety on trains,” said S Mani, a retired bank employee who travels frequently by train.
Railway Vision 2020 promises to make railway operations accident-free through the use of advanced technologies, but little progress has been made.