Saturday, 3 May 2014 00:00
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This week tragedy struck when two trains collided in Pothuhera, injuring as many as 75 people and critically injuring four. Struggling under public criticism, Railway officials have sought to deal with the blame by appointing an investigative team and suspending five workers who were on duty during the time of the disaster. Successive accidents over the past 14 years prove how ineffective authorities have been at preventing accidents and improving railway safety in Sri Lanka.
On 19 August 2001 a train derailed because of high speed and overcrowding, killing 46 between Alawwa and Rambukkana. In January 2002 the Intercity Express heading to Colombo from Kandy derailed near Rambukkana, causing more than 15 deaths. The accident was due to malfunctioning of the braking system. On 13 June 2002 a train derailed whilst coming into Alawwa station, killing 14 people.
The list continues. On 17 September 2011, near Alawwa, two trains (intercity express train Colombo to Kandy and a Class S11 DMU) collided, killing five people and injuring over 30 people. On 17 May 2012, two trains (after one train crashing into a stopped train) collided between the Wandurawa and Keenawala Railway Stations in Veyangoda.
In early 2010, the Government launched a 10-year Railway Development Strategy to bring the Railway back to satisfactory condition. It started by ordering new diesel-multiple units (DMUs) to replace the current trains. In 2010-2012, the Railway upgraded the track on the southern line, which was damaged in the 2004 tsunami. The track was upgraded to handle trains at 100 km/h, allowing for shorter journey times. It is also currently rebuilding the northern line and is also extending the southern line from Matara to Kataragama, with the intention of ending up in Hambantota.
Yet many of the key problems have remained, dominated by Victorian-era infrastructure and ageing equipment. A substantial amount of expenditure goes to rehabilitating poorly-maintained assets, as opposed to regular maintenance. In addition, the Railway Department is chronically in debt. In fact according to some records the Department last made a profit in 1943 and continues to chug billions into the red every year.
Politicisation of the service also means little or no training, few incentives and low productivity. Corruption has also become endemic in the railways, much like everywhere else, with many complaints being made of substandard or unsuitable equipment being imported for fat commissions.
Trade unions weighing in on the latest accidents have outlined three points and reason the entire Railway Department is to blame for the latest collision. They charge the train, which was recently imported from India, had faulty brakes. In fact all 20 of the S11 engines had faulty brakes and this fact was told to Railway authorities who, according to unions, chose to ignore it. They have pointed out that a S11 was involved in a previous accident in Alawwa as well. The second point is the non-appointment of deputy drivers who could assist in safety checks. The third cause is the ancient track itself that, officials insist, was not maintained properly.
Most other countries deal with safety issues by appointing a Safety Commission, which is given powers to monitor, evaluate and maintain railway safety. If used effectively, this can protect commuters while not becoming yet another burdensome layer of bureaucracy, but Sri Lanka’s track record does not inspire confidence. At least making the investigation report public would be a good place to start.
