Safety first: Konkan rly trains to slow down in rains

To ensure safety of passengers, Konkan Railway (KR) has instructed loco pilots to reduce the speed of trains on the route to 40 kilometre per hour (kmph), from an average of 100 kmph, during heavy rainfall. This means outstation trains on Mumbai-Goa or other KR routes will run at 40 kmph in heavy rainfall. The speed restriction will be imposed from June 10 up till October-end — when KR implements the monsoon timetable.

Generally, trains on KR route ply at a speed of 100kmph or more, but it is reduced to 75-90kmph in certain sections during monsoon. A KR spokesperson said the decision to reduce the speed further was taken as visibility goes down drastically during heavy rainfall and the route passes through hilly terrain, prone to landslides and rain-induced calamities. “Loco pilots have been asked to further bring the speed down to 40kmph, if there is heavy rain and visibility is very low,” said LK Verma, chief spokesperson, KR.

The Railways will also appoint 630 personnel to patrol the route during the monsoon months. At critical landslide or mudslide-prone locations, watchmen will be deployed for 24x7 vigil. “Wagon-mounted excavators are ready at all nominated points for quick movement during emergency,” Verma said. A total of 50 passenger trains, apart from goods trains, run via KR route, which spreads from Kolad in Raigad to Thokur near Mangalore.

For fast communication during emergency, the Railways has provided mobile phones to loco pilots, station masters and field officials. The train crew has also been provided with walkie-talkies and every station is equipped with a 25-watt VHF base station to enable wireless communication. “The large-scale geo-safety works executed along KR line in 13 years significantly reduced incidents of boulder-fall and soil slip. No major disruptions occurred owing to boulder-fall in monsoon in past six years,” he said. Meanwhile, KR has announced 166 special trains for Ganesh Chaturthi.