Functioning of the railways
Konkan Railways is touted to be a Designer project of India. The picturesque Western Ghats enthrall travellers. However, if you are to travel by this route, there is no certainty of the schedules being adhered to.
One of the several reasons advanced is that this is a single track. This requires detention of trains at a particular point for crossing over of train coming from opposite direction. This restraint is explained till tracks are doubled. However, this is known to all concerned while charting the journey. Moving out of the first quarter of the 21st century, this is not acceptable perennially.
This indicates a problem in the scheduling of trains. Of course, we are not so particular of the adhering to the schedules of trains. Delay of a few hours in a journey of 24 hours does not matter to us and we accept this delay as routine.
I can appreciate a single track causing delay of crossing over. I can also appreciate that a train reaching its destination and being cleaned up causing delay. What I cannot appreciate is delay, once the train has commenced it journey and being held up at a particular point outside the station.
The other day, I was expecting my friend from Goa to Mumbai by Mangalore-CSMT Superfast Express. Travelling with his handicapped wife, he booked his tickets in anticipation of reaching Mumbai in early hours of the day, 4 AM to be precise, only to avoid crowding of suburban trains.
The train arrived 2 hours behind schedule at Madgaon. It reached Panvel about 4 hours behind schedule. But when it reached CSMT is late by 7 hours behind schedule. Upon enquiry with co-passengers, I was given to understand this delay is routine. In a journey of 24 hours, if a train misses its target by 7 hours, the cause of delay is not beyond human intervention.
My friend described his harrowing experience. Drinking water was short. There was no facility of refreshments. Water in toilets was consumed, thereby rendering toilets un-hygenic. This was bound to happen in a prolonged journey.
What was not expected was as under:
1. Train being detained outside platforms, so that passengers are left completely stranded and isolated, without any support.
2. There was information about the reason of detention, causing anxiety to senior citizens like him in case of a medical emergency.
3. Replenishment of drinking water and food to cover up the delayed running of train was ignored.
4. In a schedule of 8 hours travel, delay of 6 hours is a backhand compliment to a Designer project of India. This happens regularly. Whether this delay is arising out of intentional rivalry of two divisions of railways, i.e. Konkan Railways and the Central Railway is the moot point. This is at the cost of severe inconvenience to the travelling public.
5. When such delays occur regularly, why should the train be named as SUPER-FAST and fare in excess of a passenger train be collected.
6. Knowing fully well that crowding of the railway tracks would be affecting the journey after 4 AM, when majority of up-country arriving from Pune and Nashik, compounding with the suburban traffic, no effort was made to either look after the passenger convenience.
This is sheer and intentional negligence, detrimental to the travelling passenger. more
One of the several reasons advanced is that this is a single track. This requires detention of trains at a particular point for crossing over of train coming from opposite direction. This restraint is explained till tracks are doubled. However, this is known to all concerned while charting the journey. Moving out of the first quarter of the 21st century, this is not acceptable perennially.
This indicates a problem in the scheduling of trains. Of course, we are not so particular of the adhering to the schedules of trains. Delay of a few hours in a journey of 24 hours does not matter to us and we accept this delay as routine.
I can appreciate a single track causing delay of crossing over. I can also appreciate that a train reaching its destination and being cleaned up causing delay. What I cannot appreciate is delay, once the train has commenced it journey and being held up at a particular point outside the station.
The other day, I was expecting my friend from Goa to Mumbai by Mangalore-CSMT Superfast Express. Travelling with his handicapped wife, he booked his tickets in anticipation of reaching Mumbai in early hours of the day, 4 AM to be precise, only to avoid crowding of suburban trains.
The train arrived 2 hours behind schedule at Madgaon. It reached Panvel about 4 hours behind schedule. But when it reached CSMT is late by 7 hours behind schedule. Upon enquiry with co-passengers, I was given to understand this delay is routine. In a journey of 24 hours, if a train misses its target by 7 hours, the cause of delay is not beyond human intervention.
My friend described his harrowing experience. Drinking water was short. There was no facility of refreshments. Water in toilets was consumed, thereby rendering toilets un-hygenic. This was bound to happen in a prolonged journey.
What was not expected was as under:
1. Train being detained outside platforms, so that passengers are left completely stranded and isolated, without any support.
2. There was information about the reason of detention, causing anxiety to senior citizens like him in case of a medical emergency.
3. Replenishment of drinking water and food to cover up the delayed running of train was ignored.
4. In a schedule of 8 hours travel, delay of 6 hours is a backhand compliment to a Designer project of India. This happens regularly. Whether this delay is arising out of intentional rivalry of two divisions of railways, i.e. Konkan Railways and the Central Railway is the moot point. This is at the cost of severe inconvenience to the travelling public.
5. When such delays occur regularly, why should the train be named as SUPER-FAST and fare in excess of a passenger train be collected.
6. Knowing fully well that crowding of the railway tracks would be affecting the journey after 4 AM, when majority of up-country arriving from Pune and Nashik, compounding with the suburban traffic, no effort was made to either look after the passenger convenience.
This is sheer and intentional negligence, detrimental to the travelling passenger. more
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Konkan Railway route is overcrowded. Though the Konkan Railway was planned to address the missing Railway corridor in Coastal Maharashtra and Karnataka. But once the route got implemented, many trains got diverted from old route to Konkan Railway making it congested. On top of it, in violation of general rule, Rajdhani Express is running on single track. When Rajdhani is running one should keep track clear for a long distance around 60KMs. That means no train on the track in opposite track. Konkan Railway track is designed for 185KM/hr. To realise this speed, it is high time that tracks are doubled and electrified. more
Mar 01
This is totally a hilly track and hence making a second line will be very difficult ,and very costly affairs.There are many railway lines passing thru hilly tracks and are meter gage,hence the first priority must be to convert these meter gage lines to broad gage,this will eliminate meter gage lines and improve connectivity in these areas with existing broad gage lines in the vicinity. more
Feb 21
There are two issues which are coming up to my mind: 1. Firstly, the train running staff are entitled to extra wages/overtime/allowances whenever they are required to work extra time. Therefore, more delays, more overtime. More compensatory off etc. Otherwise, how all the running staff are getting fat salaries. It is all happy to the train staff. Otherwise, we would have seen George Fernandes style All India Strike of Railwaymen that took place in 1974. I have never seen any Railway running staff murmuring on the perennial train delays. 2. Secondly, No officer either Traffic (IRTS) or Personnel (IRPS) or Commercial (DCS) or anyone ever does duty in a railway station be it New Delhi or Secunderabad or Srikakulam Road. They are all sitting in their entitled cabins with PS and Peons. The entire running of train right from Train Controllers to cabin men(signals) to Station Manager etc all are NON-EXECUTIVES. They have no powers whatsoever. So happily or with nirveda, they carry out their jobs. I heard many a time when some of the ASMs saying that they have to take the approval of DRM/Addl DRM etc when they want to change the platform, track (up to down or vice-versa), change the engine or cut the bogie. And you know, what these DRM/ADRM will be doing at those times. They are not available and the poor running staff will have to wait for hours together. I think this is the situation. I DEMAND THAT DRM SHOULD WORK LIKE A ASM FOR 6 MONTHS INITIALLY. more
Feb 16
