Central Railway’s plan for a rainy day includes fewer services and waterproof engines so as to beat waterlogging on tracks this monsoon. This is the first time Central Railway has decided to implement a ‘Sunday time-table’ on high-tide days that will experience heavy showers.
The move aims to reduce the number of trains that will be exposed to the brutality of weather and thus run the risk of being stuck on waterlogged tracks. A ‘Sunday time-table’ means that instead of the full complement of 1,732 services, CR will operate 1,384.
Next in line is the transformation of locomotives so as to make them ‘water-proof’, said CR divisional railway manager S K Jain. These locomotives will be 12-14 inch water-resistant and hence, will have no issues in moving along flooded tracks.
“We plan to adopt the Sunday timetable in the larger interest of commuters. This will ensure that some trains are in reserve so that if a situation of rakes being marooned arises, CR can jump back to normalcy at the earliest,” Jain said.
A section of commuters are, however, worried that reducing services may lead to crowding at stations. Last year’s August 29 downpour left 35 rakes marooned on tracks along Main and Harbour lines, leaving commuters stranded for hours.
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