Distinction in travel journalism
Is independent travel journalism important to you?
Click here to keep it independent

15 Mar, 2015

Rising Indian derailments also due to excreta corroding rail foot: Railways – The Hindu

Dirty railway tracks and piles of garbage alongside the tracks have not only presented an ugly side to the travelling public but also posed serious safety problem to the Indian Railways. But it turns out that the excreta falling directly on the rails from the coaches is a major cause of corrosion of rail foot, leading to rail fractures and derailments.

While admitting that the number of derailments have increased on account of rail or weld fractures, the Railways have pointed out that the major cause of rail fractures is corrosion of rail foot due to dropping of excreta from the coaches directly on the rails.

In the Action Taken Report (ATR) on the recommendations of the 21st report of the Standing Committee on Railways on “Major Railway Accidents during the last five years — Causes and Remedial Measures” which was tabled recently in Parliament, the government said that all passenger train coaches need to be fixed with zero-discharge toilets to get rid of the problem of corrosion of rails.

Read the rest: Rising derailments also due to excreta corroding rail foot: Railways – The Hindu.