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Mumbai rain: Train speeds on submerged tracks ‘at 100 km/hr’, scares commuters at Nallasopara
Activists demand probe into the incident.
An outstation train on Wednesday crossed the rain-flooded Nallasopara station at a full speed, compromising safety of passengers on board and commuters at the station. Activists have demanded a probe into the incident, especially in the wake of a string of derailments. They suspect that the train was running at a speed of 100 km/hr.
A commuter shot a video of the incident, which has gone viral. It showed the train splashing water on commuters. Sources said it could be Ahmedabad-Mumbai Lokshakti Express or Jaipur-Pune Express, but WR authorities did not reveal any details.
The train crossed the platform no 4 between 6 am to 8 am.
WR authorities admitted that such an incident had occurred. “The incident has occurred on a WR station. However, we could not identify the station and the train.” said Ravinder Bhakar, CPRO of WR.
“It seems the train passed at the speed of 100 km/h splashing water on passengers. It was dangerous and railway authorities should probe the incident and take serious action,” said Subhash Gupta, a passenger activist.
According to the railway safety standard, if water on tracks is above 100 mm, trains need to operate with a speed less than 50 km/h. WR authorities claimed the water at the station was 70 mm and the speed of the train was right.
“There was no operational hazard. Yes, the loco pilot should have reduced the speed of the train after seeing people standing at the platform. However, the water was not above 100 mm,” said a WR official, requesting anonymity.
