New trains’ woes continue

No sooner has the problem of the new-age trains’ wheels getting jammed and uncoupled been solved than the railways have to deal with the trains overshooting platforms or reversing and colliding into dead-ends, reports Rajendra Aklekar.

No sooner has the problem of the new-age trains’ wheels getting jammed and uncoupled been solved than the railways have to deal with the trains overshooting platforms or reversing and colliding into dead-ends.

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Siemens, which handled electrical components in these trains, was banned after the first phase of the railway makeover by the World Bank from being part of any project it funds. The makeover is one such project.

Railway officials said the Melbourne rail network too was supplied Siemens. It, too, is facing a problem of trains overshooting platforms.

Siemen’s officials were unavailable for comment. A media note on the Siemens website said trains could overshoot platforms due to various factors.

On Sunday, a new-age train collided with a platform’s dead-end at Churchgate. The first such incident occurred on June 2, injuring five passengers.

Railway officials said the new trains are good enough. They said drivers were still getting used to the new technology. Motormen said they were given very little training; they also blamed modifications in the software and motors.

“The black boxes [much like those in aircraft] don’t function; the software was modified to adjust to the crowds and the trains slowing down due to crush. The wheels and motors were also changed, disturbing the balance of technology,” said a motorman on condition of anonymity.

The new trains, worth Rs 20 crore each, were bought under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project to upgrade rail transport in the city.

Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation Managing Director P.C. Sehgal refused to blame anyone. There have been several cases of train overshooting platforms, too. “In many cases, motormen have accepted their lapses. You cannot blame the train there,” another official said.

Motormen said there was a delay in electro-pneumatic braking system as they were modified for motor failures and the problem was reported in several new trains’ logbooks.