CR, WR to clear scrap from tracks

Mumbai: After a series of incidents, some suspected to be sabotage, where scrap lying around on railway tracks could have caused major accidents, both central and western railway (CR and WR) have planned to clear Mumbai’s tracks of thousands of tonnes of scrap.

In an incident on WR, an accident was averted in the nick of time Saturday night between Vasai and Nalasopara stations when the motorman of a Vasai-Churchgate train sighted a rod on the tracks just in time to stop the train. In the wake of this incident, WR asked its officers to clear everything alongside the tracks as this could find its way onto the tracks and lead to a mishap. A WR official said, “We had cleared around 12,000 tonnes of scrap, off the tracks last year. This year, we have been given a target of 15,000 tonnes. The idea is to eradicate chances of incidents like Nalasopara recurring and keep materials like rods or rail pieces out of the reach of those who may misuse them.”

CR, which too has been at the centre of incidents of material turning up mysteriously on the tracks, has raised alert levels on tracks. CR’s divisional railway manager Ravindra Goyal said, “We have given standing instructions to all officials that nothing should be found next to tracks that finds its way onto tracks, intentionally or unintentionally.”

The CR last year removed 13,000 tonnes of scrap. Mr Goyal said, “We have given standing instructions to all our officials that nothing should be found next to tracks that can find its way to the tracks, either intentionally or unintentionally.” The CR plans to clear the tracks of 16,000 tonnes of scrap this year.