Wait for Matheran train gets longer

Mumbai: Those planning to travel to Matheran by toy train will have to wait longer. Top Central Railway (CR) officials said that the toy train was unlikely to be operational anytime soon.

Reason being important works such as building a boundary fence in case of derailment, and replacing the ballast on the track were taking time.

The toy train that runs between Neral and Matheran was suspended in May this year following two derailments that occurred earlier that month. So much so, union railway minister Suresh Prabhu himself asked CR to look into the matter and ensure that the toy train was safe for use.

A CR official on condition of anonymity said, “There are chances that services between Aman Lodge and Matheran may start after three months however the Neral-Aman Lodge section needs a lot of work that will take us at least six months.”

Officials said that the railway had asked for the ballast of the Neral-Aman Lodge section to be changed completely which was a herculean task. “The replacing of this ballast means we will have to move a certain tonnage of ballast in the section per day. Even if we increase the number of trips ferrying the ballast to the maximum limit, the Neral-Aman Lodge section will still require around six months”. Soon after the derailments occurred on May 1 and May 7 this year, CR wrote a letter to the state government asking for help in rebuilding the line due to its uniqueness. At the time, CR estimated a bill of Rs 8 crore to equip the British-made line with new-age rail safety technology. When contacted, divisional railway manager Ravindra Goyal refused to comment.