Some Indian trains running on faulty engines
Indian Railways has witnessed an aggregate number of over 200 accidents each year in the last 5 years
http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/124267/over-250-superfast-trains-faulty-railways.html?from=blaze
Railway claims engine design not faulty
Posted on Jun 15, 2010 at 14:53
New Delhi/ Mumbai: Indian Railway is on the defensive and in denial after CNN-IBN reported on Monday how at least 250 locomotives have faulty design. The diesel engines are being used despite Railway's internal enquiry terming them unsafe.
But the Railway has contradicted its own confidential internal reports on engines and called the report on the unsafe design of WDP4 locomotive "false".
"The features regarding unsafe design of WDP4 locomotive which is a diesel locomotive is not factually correct. All rolling stock which is introduced on Indian Railway goes through a rigorous process of approval, first from our own organization called Research Design and Standard Organization based at Lucknow and through the approval of Commissioner of Railway. It goes through three processes and WDP4 has gone to all three processes and it is not faulty. These Locomotives are safe and no collision has taken place in past. This information is incorrect," said Indian Railway spokesperson Anil Kumar Saxena.
According to the Railway the "fool-proof quality checks" discount any scope of error.
But CNN-IBN has found that there are over 250 faulty engines currently with the Railway.
Imported from the US, the WDP4 locomotive at a top speed of 160 kmph is the fastest in the country and hauls several super fast trains like Rajdhanis everyday. But their faulty design has a long hood in the front and so drivers are not only unable to sight the railway track ahead but shockingly also the signal, which could lead to an accident.
A railway safety report in 2006 has also pointed out the faulty design and even the drivers' memorandum has been blaming it. The drivers have reported that the "flaw in the engine may lead to a disaster".
In fact an accident was averted in June 2007 when Pushpak Express jumped a red signal but the driver stopped it just in the nick of time and blamed WDP4's faulty design. Citing the report as one of the reasons a few days later Railway decided to run Pushpak Express on electric locomotives.
Even a Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report has indicted the engine design.
The reports said: "These locomotives were imported from USA bypassing requisite technical approvals. Their cost, Rs 390 crore was unjustified and that they are actually designed according to North American railway system and not the Indian one."
Comments
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
from vish3161 at 19:21, Jun 15, 2010
The WDP4 locomotive is designed to be run short hood forward but unfortunately loco turntables are not available at a lot of stations and so the Loco ends up with its long hood forward many a time .. otherwise the WDP4 is a fine locomotive and calling them faulty is journalistic ignorance ( also, its is not the fastest locomotive in the Indian railways as claimed by the article .. the WAP5 Electric is the fastest l). Also I think only the Guwahati Rajdhani is hauled by this locomotive for a part of its journey with most of the other Rajdhanis using electric traction.
from rahulnayar.s at 18:47, Jun 15, 2010
In India the particular loco has two variants, one specific to passenger operation which is called the WDP4 and second the freight variant which is called the WDG4. Both these loco are good locos technically. But Diesel locos with single driving cabs operate in two hood modes, know as SHF (short hood front) & LHF (Long hood front). When the loco is going forward with its driving cabin facing the direction to which it is going it is called SHF mode and vice versa. The photo posted in the site shows the loco standing in LHF mode. The loco is good to operate in SHF mode but due to the lenght of the loco (21 metres, longest loco in India) and the protruding radiator grill (The part circled in red)makes it is very difficult to operate this loco in LHF mode. The Loco Pilot/Assistant Loco Pilot some times have to literally put their head out of their cabin to spot signals as the lenght of the loco and the radiator grill obstructs their view. It is not only difficult to spot the signal, it also is risky for the crew as track side obstructions like a tree or a signal post can hit them. In US where this loco is used either has 2 cabins or in single cabin locos, twin locos are used with is attached LHF to LHF, so there is always a cabin facing the direction of motion. If they are forced to use a single loco, turn tables are used to turn the loco, so that it always operated in SHF mode. Infact in New Delhi there is a turntable which can turn the loco so that it is always operated in SHF mode, but this is not the case in rest of the country. The largest number of these locos are housed in Hubli and Krishnarajapuram loco shed. Both these loco shed does not have a turn table.
The loco as such is not a bad loco, but its a risky affair when the loco is being operated in Long Hood Front (LHF) mode. Either the loco should have 2 control cabins or turn tables should be used to operate the loco in SHF mode.
from shreyabha at 18:14, Jun 15, 2010
find the babu who ordered those exorbitant prices engines..
from georgie123 at 17:31, Jun 15, 2010
The Good cargo train while passing over the railway tracks is making some lot of noise on the wheels rotation over the tracks is under great pressure . this noise is clear when while in goods crossing the passenger train and good train might lean over the passenger train as it make a crossing while in turns . why this much noise on wheels while a goods trains passes and the tracks in the bottom will be forming a wave motion by going down and up . this kind of heavy transport of goods in the passenger railway tracks are happening in night time in the transport of heavy container filled with coal or some other chemical . there is no such method to stop the rain water from coming inside the cabin even in heavy rains by the windows . and the side seatis full of water . there are reason for this , to kerala most of the railway coaches are condem coaches sometimes due to scarcity of coaches to kerala
Railway making some lot of money form central goverment and people , but there is a need to check the expertise of the railway men working daily with new technology can cause accident due to other reason of ignorance . Let pray to god that no such accident occur due to fault design even if railway is carrying million of people in the train design and running now in India
from viperkahn at 17:06, Jun 15, 2010
Contradictiong one's own internal safety memo....well done Indian Railways...go ahead and end up killing innocent passengers!!! They are all yours....
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.