Ceiling of toilet caves in on Deccan Queen, passengers raise safety issues

Such incidents will render the train unsafe for passengers so it is necessary to carry out a safety check of the entire train, say passengers

Barely four days since attachment of the newly-designed Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches and an accident occurred in the running Deccan Queen Express train Monday morning. The rooftop of one of the toilets in the air-conditioned (AC) C2 coach came crashing down, breaking open the toilet door. There was no one in the toilet at the time of the mishap. But passengers are now extremely worried about their safety while travelling in these new coaches.

There was no one in the toilet at the time of the mishap. (HT PHOTO)

The train departed from Pune railway station at 7.15 am on Monday carrying hundreds of passengers including those who commute daily between Pune and Mumbai for work. After crossing Lonavala station however, a loud sound emanated from inside one of the toilets of the AC C2 coach. A passenger rushed towards the toilet only to find out that the ceiling had collapsed. As there was no one in the toilet at the time of the incident, there were no injuries. But passengers are now a worried lot as they question the safety and quality of the newly-attached LHB coaches.

Dinesh Mhetre, who travels daily by the Deccan Queen, said, “I travel daily between Pune and Mumbai by this train for office work. In the middle of the journey on Monday, we realised that something has happened in coach C2. When I rushed there to check, I found that the door of the toilet had broken down and the rooftop had collapsed completely. Such incidents will render the train unsafe for passengers so it is necessary to carry out a safety check of the entire train.”

Harsha Shah, president, Railway Pravasi Group, said, “It is a clear case of ignoring safety precautions that too inside one of the prominent trains in our country. The Deccan Queen was the first executive train monitored by the railways and is still controlled by the railway board. No one was injured on Monday but if any accident had taken place, who would have been responsible for the same? I strongly condemn Monday’s accident and demand that the coaches be properly checked again for the safety of the passengers.”

When contacted, Manoj Jhawar, Pune railway division spokesperson, said, “The incident took place in the running train after it departed from Pune railway station Monday morning. As the entire maintenance of the train is carried out by the Mumbai division, the issue will be taken up on a priority basis. But when the train returned to Pune in the evening, the damaged rooftop of the toilet had been repaired and fitted back. No one was injured in the accident luckily…”

The Deccan Queen occupies pride of place as the first deluxe train introduced to serve the two important cities of Mumbai and Pune. The revised version of the train has four AC chair car, eight second-class chair car, one vista dome coach, one AC dining car, guard-cum-brake van and a generator car. The new LHB coaches were attached to the train on June 22 and have been painted green.