Mumbai: Twenty minutes was all it took for a blaze to turn a sleeper bogie of New Delhi-Chennai Tamil Nadu Express into a mass crematorium, incinerating at least 32 people inside. While the gruesome episode has elicited reactions from all parts of the country, it has spurred Mumbaikars to question the preparedness of the railways to deal with incidents like this. About 72 lakh people travel by the citys suburban train system alone every day.
When contacted, both Central and Western Railway officials asserted they have a foolproof system to deal with fire mishaps. But when we probed our sources in various departments, the answers werent very encouraging. Yes, we have fire extinguishers in express trains and also locals. But not many of them work, as there is very little maintenance. Also, just ask the railway staff how many of them are equipped to use the equipment during emergencies, said a senior official from Western Railway.
In long-distance trains the fire extinguishers are placed in pantry cars, air-conditioned coaches and also with the guard. However, such trains have 24 coaches and passengers are concerned whether these fire extinguishers would be able to reach them on time if theres a blaze in one of the general bogies. Sudhir Raman, who is a regular traveller of the long-distance trains from Mumbai to Ahmedabad, said, I have my doubts whether these railway staffers would be of any use during emergencies. They are not properly trained and dont even know how to
02:19 PM, Jul 31, 2012
Mumbai: Much of India is outraged by the acts of a mob that molested a teenage girl on a Guwahati street on July 10. What is a greater outrage is the fact that such episodes keep repeating themselves regularly all over the country. While the depravity of the wrongdoers is certainly reprehensible, what has contributed to this nightmare is the fact that more often than not " apart from knee-jerk...
01:25 PM, Jul 16, 2012
Vidyadhar Malegaonkar, Chief PRO, Central Railway said that people in Mumbai were forced to trespass railway lines as "there are not too many connectivities". ...
08:29 AM, Apr 20, 2012
Mumbai: A day after three people died because of heavy rush in Mumbai's local trains, officials are hopeful of restoring services to normal on Friday. They also say that trains just see a delay of maximum 10 minutes and that 95 per cent of the Central Railway is on track. The signal repairing work will also be completed by Friday night. On Thursday, three commuters in an overcrowded Kalyan CST...
08:21 AM, Apr 20, 2012
On Thursday morning, three commuters in an overcrowded Kalyan-CST local hit a signal pole and fell to their death. ...
08:16 AM, Apr 20, 2012
India on Thursday test fired its most powerful long-range missile Agni-V successfully giving India the much-needed muscle and a strong deterrence against China. ...
11:28 PM, Apr 19, 2012
Mumbai: The turbulence in local trains in Mumbai has taken a toll. Three people died after they fell from a local train between Nahur and Bhandup stations (central line) during heavy rush. Fifteen people were injured. The Nahur station is just ahead of the Mulund station. Central Railway chief PRO Vidyadhar Malegaonkar said the primary reason of the incident was overcrowding. Union Railway Minister Mukul Roy has announced compensation for...
12:04 PM, Apr 19, 2012
At the age of 34, Preeti Kumari is training to be one of India's few rail motorwomen. ...
01:19 PM, Aug 02, 2010
![Mumbai gets USD 430 mn to improve its train system]( "Mumbai gets USD 430 mn to improve its train system")
It aims to add more vehicle capacity during peak hours, reduce peak hour overcrowding and shorten journey times. ...
12:11 PM, Jun 30, 2010
CNN-IBN's Shoaib Ahmed finds out how secure are Mumbai trains. ...
10:52 PM, Jul 11, 2009
Colombo: Sri Lanka Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage rubbished claims that Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) has been stalled due to non-participation of Indian players and sponsorship issues. "The tournament will go ahead as per plan with or without the Indian players. There is no final word yet on the non availability of Indian players," Aluthgamage told PTI. Earlier, there were reports that the cash-strapped Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is likely...
08:45 PM, Feb 09, 2008
Chennai: Kenya captain Jimmy Kamande was left struggling for answers after a 10-wicket World Cup mauling at the hands of New Zealand nudged them closer to exile from cricket's most exclusive club. Sunday's match, which was supposed to last 100 overs, was over in less than 32 as the Black Caps dismissed Kenya for 69 before racing to their target off just 48 balls at the Chidambaram Stadium. It was ...
04:09 PM, Dec 19, 2007
Melbourne: England captain Andrew Strauss on Sunday conceded gifted batsman Eoin Morgan was in considerable doubt for the World Cup after breaking a finger. Morgan missed England's final one-day international against Australia in Perth on Sunday with the injury, which he suffered in the ODI in Adelaide last month. Morgan at first thought his finger was just bruised and Strauss said he was quite surprised when X-rays revealed a substantial...
11:37 AM, Dec 10, 2007
Delay in local train schedules angered passengers who were left stranded. ...
09:31 AM, Jul 20, 2007
The mega-block of the Western Railway services between Virar and Borivali will affect the services of local trains. ...
10:49 AM, May 26, 2007
