Mumbai: Hit by disruptions in services, railways plans special drive

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In a meeting held on Thursday, railway officials said an official from the Railway Board, assisted by suburban railway authorities, will look into the causes of disruptions in train services in the past few days. “We are aware of the problems suburban commuters of Mumbai have been facing in the past few days due to technical faults or human errors. To keep them under control, we are planning to undertake a special drive, a report of which will be sent to the railway ministry,” said Girish Pillai, additional member, Railway Board (Tourism and Catering Infrastructure).

Train services on the Harbor Line were very affected Wednesday after a technical problem at Raoli junction. Later, railway authorities attributed the cause to burning of garbage by slum-dwellers near a signal box, damaging the cables.

The special drive will also look at initiating a public awareness campaign with the help of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) to educate them about the consequences of throwing and burning garbage at or near railway tracks, officials said.

Similarly, a special drive for cleaning heaps of garbage alongside tracks will also be undertaken on a mission mode in areas where they pose a risk to train operations.

Railway officials said all vulnerable locations that pose a threat to railway property and infrastructure would be identified.