CR forms team, procures boats for relief work during rain

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Central Railway (CR) has formed a railway flood relief team (RFRT) of 15 people to assist commuters in case of waterlogging during monsoon

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Central Railway (CR) has formed a railway flood relief team (RFRT) of 15 people to assist commuters in case of waterlogging during monsoon. The team will have five motorised boats and its personnel have been trained by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

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The railways has identified vulnerable locations along the central line and the inflatable boats with all the safety equipment have been stationed at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Kurla, Thane and Badlapur stations. The boats can be easily transported to any Western Railway (WR) station in case of an emergency.

Each boat has a capacity of eight people. A mock drill on the rescue operation was conducted at Masunda Lake in Thane on Tuesday.

The railways started the initiative this year in the backdrop of the 2019 incident, when an outstation train, Mahalaxmi Express, with 700 passengers on board, was stuck near Vangani station in heavy rains and floods,.

Arun Kumar, Director General RPF, said, “The suburban rail is the lifeline of Mumbai, and hence there are various infrastructure upgradations made over the past few years by the railways to ensure that flooding does not take place. As part of this initiative, we have introduced the rescue boats and the team. Our first act in any emergency is to ensure passengers do not panic.”

“So far, we have trained 15 personnel – 5 women and 10 men – and training is being provided to more RPF personnel. These teams will be available during monsoon from June to October every year. A detailed Standard operating procedure (SOP) has been prepared, that will also ensure better coordination among civil administration, GRP, disaster management authorities and control room,” said Shivaji Sutar, chief public relations officer, CR.

The teams will continuously monitor the rainfall, especially during the days of high tide or when heavy rain is predicted by the meteorological department, and move to the location where flooding is reported. There are three alert marks developed by the railways: when the water level reaches four inches above rail level, the team will start preparation for movement and it will be called ‘blue alert’. When the team moves to the location where water level reaches five inches above the rail level, it will be orange alert. Red alert is when the relief operation begins when the train is held up at any location and the water is three feet high.