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from Sri Lankan Media.....updated
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Indian
Railways entering Sri Lanka
Daily Mirror August 1st 2003
The Sri Lankan government has asked Indian
Railways undertaking RITES Ltd. to manage its railway and later help in
privatisation, India's Financial Express newspaper reported.
The Sri Lankan Cabinet
recently approved a proposal whereby RITES will be given the management control
of crisis-ridden Sri Lanka Railway, the newspaper said. The company would be
invited to be part of a negotiating committee to settle the terms for taking up
the assignment.
The
committee will decide on whether RITES should be given the contract for a fixed
monthly or annual fees, or be given a portion in the saving resulting out of
the new management. The chief executive, heads of various departments, like
traffic, and their second rung will be from RITES while the lower level will
continue to be manned by the existing staff, the newspaper said. RITES
conducted a study of the Sri Lanka Railway earlier this year.
"The study was aimed at
finding out what ails the railway and what can be done to turn it around," said
a senior official. The Sri Lankan government had awarded the study to RITES
with a view to increase private participation and making the railway
viable.(abridged) |
Railway trade
unions on two tracks
By Pujitha Wijetunge Daily
Mirror 28th July 2003 (Monday)
The newly created Sri
Lanka Railway Authority (SLRA) has apparently brought about a division among
the trade unions in Railways with one group welcoming the change while the
other group threatens to bring the services to a standstill.
Though the Sri Lanka Station Master's Union
(SLSMU) hailed the newly established Authority, certain groups in the Union
yesterday condemned the move saying that SLSMU has been acting arbitrarily
without respecting the wishes of the majority of its members.
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Colombo city
on Singapore model
........The railway would be moved out of the city to
Baseline Road where land would be released for development. Railway land
would be used for commercial development. New monorail services - with some
elevated - moving out of Fort in five separate directions, would be developed
for public transport purposes.....
The above appeared in an article in the Financial Times
page of the Sunday Times (27-7-2003). All we can say is that looking out of the
window we can see pigs flying! From a historical point of view if all this
happens we will lose two buildings of historical interest: Colombo Fort Railway
Station and Maradana Station...Has anybody thought of that? |
Troops keep
trains running despite strike
By Sunil Jayasiri and Pujith Wijetunge(Daily
Mirror 26-7-2003)
The Army
was called in yesterday to provide security for trains, guard the main railway
stations and ensure normal train services following threats by trade unions to
launch an all out strike in protest against the setting up of the Railway
Authority.
A military
control room with technical personnel from the army was set up at the main
Maradana Railway station yesterday to assist the police in case of an emergency
following threats held out by several railway trade unions to bring the train
service to a standstill.
Military spokesman Sanath Karunaratne said army personnel had been deployed at
the office of the Railway Chief and the Transport Ministry. He said that from
Thursday evening army personnel were already deployed in Fort and Maradana
Railway stations, the Dematagoda Railway yard and the Ratmalana workshop.
The spokesman said that
the Army personnel were in a state of preparedness to meet any emergency.
Meanwhile railway
officials said all trains were running on schedule yesterday and commuters had
turned up as usual at stations despite reports and threats of strikes.
Commuters said they were surprised to find trains running as usual and the
presence of troops gave them a sense of security.
But contradictory claims were made by unions. A
Railway union spokesman claimed that more than 10,000 workers had joined their
strike. |
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From the Daily news
of 25-7-2003
The government has
established a Railways Authority to revitalise the loss-making train service.
The new Authority will be looking at improving and expanding the railways to
provide a more efficient service to commuters. Staff photographer Ravindra
Seneviratne yesterday took this picture of a Valachchenai bound train passing
the famous rail-road Manampitiya bridge, over the Mahaweli river, one of only
two such bridges in the country.
(The locomotive is GM EMD G12 class M2 No 569
"Ontario". Click image for a bigger pic) |
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Unions
strike at Railway Authority
By Gagani Weerakoon and Pujitha Wijetunge (Daily
Mirror 24-7-2003)
A
powerful Railway union has threatened to launch an indefinite strike from
midnight today protesting against what it calls the government's alleged move
to privatise the Railway Department.
A spokesman for the Organisation for Protection
of the Properties and rights of Railway Employees (OPRE) said the Railway
Authority which would come into operation from today would put the railway on a
fast track towards privatisation. They demanded the government to withdraw
proposals to restructure the railway department charging that the government
was trying to privatise the railway under the pretext of the Railway Authority.
Union spokesman
Sumathipala Manawadu said they had received reliable information that the
gazette was being printed yesterday provoking them to advance the strike action
which was earlier scheduled for July 30.
The OPRE alleged that the government's economic
policy plan "Regaining Sri Lanka" promoted privatisation of many government
institutions including the Railway Department. All unions in the Railway
department except the JSS and two other small unions are said to be affiliated
to the OPRE.(abridged) |
Suspension of
train services prompted by heavy losses
Opinion column of The Island of
23-7-2003
According to a
news release in ‘The Island’ newspaper of July 10, 2003, the
Fort-Vavuniya intercity services are to be suspended with effect from July 14,
2003 on account of railway losses. The writer wonders whose hare-brained
decision - whether the chief executive or GM (Operations) or the Railway
Management Council - prompted this action to cut down railway losses! Unless
there is some cogent reason to suspend this particular service, giving such
short notice to the travelling public, there appears to be no justifiability
when statistics of commuter density in the relevant trains perhaps will prove
otherwise. Next suspensions likely to be the Kandy - Colombo "intercity
express" and "Uda Rata Menike" due to want of suitable locomotives for safe
traction on up-country tracks. In the process of eliminating train services on
each line in this manner, there will be a redundancy of staff which has
necessarily to be pruned down to achieve the desired objective.(abridged)
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Train Disaster off Rambukkana
By H. D. I. Anthony (Special class Head Guard
(Retired). From The Island Features section of 23-7-2003
I refer to the questionnaire presented by S. Amerasooriya, former
G. M. R. in ‘The Island’ 20th of June and other letters regarding the
same. My serious question is whether there was sufficiently efficient
investigation into the matter of disaster of the Intercity Train in January
2002 off Rambukkana. I feel Sri Lanka society is like a bottle of soda. There
is hysteric commotion when something happens. Then gradually that gets buried
in sands of time and is forgotten forever. I strongly feel that the purpose of
appointing the Committee in question also was to give time for collection of
sufficient sand over that unpardonable crime.
These types of incomplete investigations prolong
inefficiencies in Railway management.
I cannot keep myself silent because I predicted this accident a
few months before its occurrence. I was travelling one day by the Kandy
intercity train leaving at 0300pm from Fort and I was amazed at the speed on
the Kadugannawa incline. I told the Guard to inform the Transportation
Superintendent (Navalapitiya) about these excessive speeds because a serious
accident is clearly discernible in the horizon.
The reply I got shocked me so much I stopped
travelling by train. When the accident actually occurred as I predicted, I
begged permission from the committee to give evidence before it. It was given.
I was asked to appear before it at 09.00am on 10th February 2002. I presented
myself accordingly but I was summoned in at 2.00 pm. I was tired and hungry. As
I sat down I was ordered by the chair not to speak about the vacuum brake
because the committee members already knew about it enough.
Then the chair aimed
following questions at me. Q) If your train goes at excessive speed down
incline what would you do? A) I would apply vacuum brake to stop it. Q) If that
did not stop the train what would you do? A) I would hold something strong very
hard and offer my soul to my God! At this point the chairman flared up and
started yelling. "It is people like you who make this type of accidents. Why
could you not put the vacuum handle back, for the driver to create vacuum again
and stop it?" The chairman who claimed the sufficient knowledge of vacuum brake
functioning, did not know that it takes at least five minutes to recreate
sufficient vacuum pressure and meanwhile the train running free on the down
incline ever accelerates its momentum continuously. If at 40 mph (64 kmph) the
vacuum brake could not stop the train how could it stop the train at 80 mph
(128 kmph)? Had that happened heated brake blocks would have melted. This
committee, which was high minded enough to summon foreign evidence, was not
intelligent enough to ask me whether I had had any logical basis for my
prediction! After a few more questions they advised me to write to them
whatever I had to tell, so that they could submit those papers to the Minister
with their report and adjourned for the day because they too were tired.
On their way back to
chambers, I saw the retired District inspector Mechanical and then for
sometimes adviser to a Railway Drivers Union, Mr. K. V. R. Gunasekara chatting
with the chairman and entering the chambers. He also was present at the well
right throughout when evidence was recorded. Out of all the General Managers
and Chief Mechanical Engineers of my memory, it is only Mr. B. D. Rampala who
did sit on the Driver’s seat and drove trains himself often. So he knew
exactly what happened in train running. That is, he knew problems involved in
operating of trains which knowledge the present administration lack, though
they pretend to be experts of that subject and brag about it a lot. Hats off
for you Sir, Mr. B. D. Rampala! Dieselization started in Sri Lanka Railway
traction in 1953 and total dieselization occurred in 1968. Mr. B. D.
Rampala’s unpleasant departure occurred in 1970. With that first hand
knowledge and experience in diesel traction, he took care that not a single
train ran down incline out of control during his 17 years. After his departure,
an experiment was done in 1973 on the sole sufficiency of vacuum brake power in
controlling trains on lengthy down gradients. The goods train No 642 was taken
for the test run. The train was with full length with W1 class loco that lacked
dynamic brakes. Brake gear of each vehicle was properly adjusted, tested and
certified correct before the commencement of the journey. Before starting from
Kadugannawa the Guard was instructed not to touch his hand brakes unless asked
for, Passing Balana the vacuum gauge indicated trouble and the hand brake help
was asked and given. Passing Ihalakotte vacuum indication was very low and
approaching Kadigamuwa, that is after about 8 miles of run the vacuum gauge
registered zero with gaining speed and it continued so till the train got
stopped by natural gravity far away after passing Rambukkana, unauthorized.
Thereafter seven more trains ran out of control down incline and entered the
section ahead unauthorized. Here I avoid citing trains going out of control in
similar conditions but getting stopped without passing the station ahead
somehow, because they are unrecorded, though we know such things did occur. Out
of these eight cases seven were goods trains and five of which were disasters.
In one disaster, the train No 579 of 04. 12. 1999, the head guard died and the
train’s front piece running free collided with the moving down Badulla
Mail Train and injured 30 odd passengers in the latter. The last train in
question was this, the only passenger train. Then eight similar accidents have
occurred in 32 years. That one accident every four years. Each accident was
assigned a reason so that inefficiencies of management were successfully
camouflaged. Each accident was taken per se and colossal losses of the
Department were transferred to Treasury. Railway is government’s concern.
Allmost all administrative officers of transportation sub-department are made
experts of the assigned job only by their letters of appointment. None of them
must or can be questioned. When an accident occurs and committee is appointed
departmentally or otherwise, with implicit mandate that they must look after
the management as a whole. So none of those investigators was impartial and
adroit enough to question the involvement of the administrative decisions in
the subject referred. So mismanagement has become the order of the day and
Railway a white elephant. Had the committee on the Rambukkana disaster
questioned on me the basis of my prediction, I would have invited them to
reopen all previous seven cases also and see if there had been a persistent
common factor not observed up to now and might recur if not properly identified
and eliminated. Now let us consider the accident at issue. The locomotive of
the train was an M 6 class Diesel Electric Locomotive. If the locomotive was
properly working, it must have Air brakes and Dynamic brakes to control its
run. The seven passenger coaches had hand brakes and vacuum brakes. Out of hand
brakes of coaches only that of two Guards could be used on the run. When the
driver applies the vacuum brakes a proportionate application of air brake
occurs in the locomotive. By judicious use of these brakes a train running on
down gradient can be kept well under control and stopped where necessary. The
dynamic brake is actually not a brake but an electric device to keep the speed
of the train under check and control. The Hand Book issued for the M 6
locomotive by its manufacturers says that the dynamic brake may get unreliable
at speeds higher than 30 kmph. Depending on this, The Departmental Working
Instructions book called "Safety Rules" prohibit to run trains over 20 mph (32
kmph) on incline tracks. For some of the Drivers, obeying Safety Rules is
something demeaning as they think they are catwhiskers. So they run trains at
excessive speeds in incline sections of the track. Then the dynamic brake
becomes naturally inoperative. Then they start to control the train with vacuum
brake. By chance if the vacuum brake fails what can you control the speed with?
This is what happened to this unfortunate train after passing Ihalakotte.
This possibility of
failure of vacuum brake was proved by the experiment I quoted above. If an
efficient and impartial inquiry had been held the conclusion would have been
what I give. The management is directly responsible for this crime. If any
train runs on the open track passing a station, the station Master records the
passing time on his register and inform that time to the Train Controller. The
latter draws graph line for the train. The slant of this graph shows the speed.
So the management knows whether the time is excessively lost or gained. The
management is very efficient in discussion hours on delay to trains and issuing
charge sheets even for one or two minutes lost. But why could the management
not issue at least one charge sheet for excessive speed and time gain at least
in long down inclines?
In
Railway nobody is concerned about it. I invite the Department to check speeds
of incline running of trains for 6 months prior to the accident and further I
challenge the Department to prove that this charge of mine on general excessive
speeds on down gradients is wrong! Records are available. Please do not destroy
or interpolate them in the name of dear Sri Lanka. Fifth Sessional Paper of
1965 (Disaster of Train no 400 on 17th Oct. 1964) in its page number 18 says
that, Commission believed, that not taking appropriate action to check
excessive speed amounts to silent approval of it. But I feel that the
Department has gone a way beyond giving tacit approval. Now appropriate
indirect action is taken to inhibit checking of excessive speed. I give one
example. The train No 15 (Udarata Menike) started from Navalapitiya on 27th
Dec. 2000. According to certain technical limitations that train should have
taken 79 minutes to reach Hatton (21 miles) at maximum permitted speed. But it
took only 71 minutes. That is 8 minutes was gained by excessive speed. That of
course was on up gradient, which also is prohibited, though. Hatton - Kotagala
(3 miles) the train gained 2 minutes. That is down gradient. When the train on
excessive speed was approaching next down gradient after 112 1/2-mile post, the
Under Guard stopped the train and requested the Driver to adhere to speed
limitations. The Driver reported the Under Guard for unauthorized stop. That
complaint was taken up efficiently and a charge sheet was issued on the Under
Guard and a protracted inquiry ensued.
At the end the accused was exculpated. But what about the
excessive speed allegation? What I feel is that this is enough determent to
other officers not to be too smart by interfering with speedings. Just in 12
months time after, in 2002, January, this accident occurred. Those maimed for
life may be satisfied with the doles you received. Those killed are buried.
Their dependents may be satisfied with big amounts they got. The country’s
capital assets that are damaged are discarded and lie exposed to the elements.
Future passengers are to be insured lavishly. But do not forget that all this
is wealth of our country. Consulting the General Manger on operating of trains
is like an acute heart patient going to a famous specialist of Genito-Urinary
Tract.
Mechanical
engineers may not be reliable because most of them may be worried of portions
of commissions they dream of. Better infrastructures are promised to foreign
investors. When they come to Sri Lanka they will have first hand hilarious
experience of Passenger express trains not stopping at stations but stopping at
unsecured signal posts regularly.
In passing, here I may mention that during the Rampala era the
Udarata Menike started from Gampola had its first stop at Polgahawela. (See
working Time Table 1964) Therefore, I humbly beg the Minister of Transport to
appoint a high-powered commission composed, inter alia, of a mechanical
engineer and an electronic engineer well respected in their respective
professional circles, to go into railway in toto and give mandatory
directives.
If this is
neglected aid donors may fault Sri Lanka for wasting its valuable capital. And
above all if this is not done present and future generations will curse you!
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Rail track
spirited away
By Sunil Jayasiri (Daily Mirror
22-7-2003)
The LTTE had allegedly removed a section of railway track and 17
sleepers on Saturday night in the Mavadippu area in Palkudah. Military sources
confirmed that the incident occurred near the 201st mile post on the
Batticaloa-Valaichchenai road. It was reported that thereafter these items were
taken to the Sea Tiger base in Hardy thottum from where they were then taken
away in boats.
However, military sources were unable to ascertain where
these items were taken to in the boats. |
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Man arrested for
removing rail
By Matara Correspondent (Daily
Mirror 18-7-2003)
A man who was removing a rail worth about
Rs. 21,000 from the Matara - Kataragama railway track which is under
construction presumably to sell as scrap iron was taken into custody on
Wednesday (16) by the Matara police crime investigation branch.
The suspect
is a twenty six year old man from Hittatiya Alawella in Matara.
The work in
this railway track was suspended. On questioning the suspect, it was disclosed
that he has been doing this for sometime. The information disclosed by the
suspect had also paved way for the police to arrest another suspect. The
arrested suspects was produced before the Matara Magistrate yesterday (17).
Matara Police is making further inquiries. |
Gossip
(17-7-2003)
Plasser
Tamping Machine: What happened to it?
A reliable correspondent from Colombo informs us
that approx. five years ago the SLR obtained a track ballast tamping machine
made by Plasser & Theurer (local agents: De Soysa & Co) which
demonstrated its capabilities on approx one mile stretches on either side of
Veyangoda.
There was, as
expected, a considerable improvement in the tracks. We have no further news of
this machine. We think that it will not be popular with railway permanant way
workers because of possible loss of jobs!
A Ticket To Ride..... Free!
The price of rail tickets have not been increased
since 1994. The General Manager of the railway has suggested an increase of at
least 300 per cent which is highly unlikely to be popular! Our corr thinks that
a Rs 3 ticket must go up to Rs 5 and long distance tickets by 30 per cent at
least.
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Left: A rail ticket from 2002 for the 27 mile journey from Colombo
Fort to Kalutara South costing all of Rs 10.50 (less than 10pence!) |
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Valachchenai-Batticaloa railway services suspended
by
Harischandra Gunaratna (Island 17-7-2003)
Railway services between Valachchenai and
Batticaloa which resumed after a lapse of nearly seven years in mid-April have
once again been suspended on the orders of the Defence
Ministry.
Official
sources who wished to remain anonymous told ‘The Island’ yesterday
that the tracks were too unsafe for use until major repairs were undertaken.
There was no indication of when this would be. The tracks on this 40 kilometre
(24 miles) stretch — the final run from Colombo on the Eastern track came
under repeated attack until it was closed seven years ago. Repair operations
cost the government around Rs. 178 million, of which Rs. 100 m was provided by
NORAD.
The recent
disruptions according to official sources and local observers could be
attributed to one of two reasons. First the LTTE has been reportedly demanding
a fee for the use of the track, a demand that is not being met by the
authorities.
Private bus
operations who stand to lose heavily on their investment in road transport
could also be resorting to sabotage. Local observers believe that a Tamil
politico who has made a large investment could also be involved.
Several stretches of the
line are damaged, with large crater sized holes that could have been caused by
explosives, that sources said. |
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Railway commuters
in the lurch
By Pujitha
Wijetunge
(Daily Mirror 15-7-2003)
The Colombo - Gampaha - Colombo ( train nos.129 and 534)
weekend service have been withdrawn from service from last week on the
recommendations of the Railway Management Council (RMC).
Commuters travelling by these
trains are reported to be very angry over the suspension of the weekend trains.
They have said these trains are packed to capacity on their runs.
However,
commuters who normally travel from Colombo to Vavuniya and back by train can
heave a sigh of relief after a probe on the (RMC) recommendations to suspend
the Colombo - Vavuniya intercity express train was ordered. The Daily Mirror
learns the suspension of the train service which was originally scheduled for
July 14 will not take place, until such time the probe ordered by Prime
Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is completed.
The Daily Mirror also learns
that the RMC has recommended the amalgamation of train nos. 45 and 47 and train
nos. 46 and 48 operating between Colombo and Badulla, to run as a single night
train.
Commuters charge that such
arrangements will cause inconvenience to travellers and cut down the parcel
service considerably. Railway officials queried how the RMC could take such
drastic decisions to inconvenience commuters without consulting the authorities
running the railways. It is learnt that neither the General Manager of Railways
nor the Operating Superintendent are members of the so-called RMC and they are
not consulted when such recommendations are made. The RMC has cited high fuel
costs and the Treasury not allocating sufficient funds as reasons for
recommending suspension of the services. |
Colombo-Vavuniya express train service suspended
[TamilNet, July 09, 2003
05:17 GMT]
Intercity
express train service between Vavuniya and Colombo is to be suspended from July
14 said Commissioner of Sri Lanka Department of Railways in a notice sent to
the Railway station officials in Vavuniya, according to transportation sources.
Although the express train was advertised to take only 4 hours in one direction
passengers said the train which starts from Vavuniya at 5.45am reaches takes
nearly six hours to reach Colombo. Similarly although the scheduled time start
time for the Colomb0-Vavuniya leg is 3.55pm, the train is usually 30 minutes
late and reaches Vavuniya between 11 pm and midnight.
Railway authorities cite losses incurred by the
service were the reason for the suspension of service.
However, sources close to the operation say that
increase of fares from Rs200 to Rs270 and the excessive delays in running the
service were the main reasons for the lack of required passenger volume to run
a profitable service.
Passengers said that if the train consistently completes the journey
in 4 hours and departs the stations regularly at scheduled times there will be
definite increase in the number of passengers who are likely to use the
service. Vanni district Parliamentarian N. Sivasakthi Anandan and United
National Party official Mahes Thavachelvam have appealed to the Sri Lanka
Government not to suspend the train service. |
Ghost train
returns from Batticaloa
(Daily Mirror 9-7-2003)
A train without passengers but with only police
and army security returned to Valaichchenai from Batticaloa yesterday, while
the LTTE was being accused of disrupting the service to the region by removing
rail sleepers from the track between Vantarumulai and Commandurai on
Monday. |
Services
resume on Eastern railway line
by Rajmi Manatunga (Daily News 7-7-2003)
The Railway Department has resumed services on
the Eastern railway line after its sudden disruption a few months back. A
spokesman for the Department told the Daily News that the service which
operates from Colombo to Valachchenai and Welikanda was resumed after the
necessary reconstruction work was completed on the rail tracks.
Train operations
recommenced early this year on the Eastern railway line which had been long
abandoned owing to the war situation in the region.
However, several derailments occurring just after
the resumption compelled authorities to suspend the service a few months back.
"All the deficiencies that prevailed in the rail tracks have been attended to
and steps have been taken to ensure that no such incidents will occur in the
future," he said.
Accordingly, two Batticaloa bound trains will leave Colombo at 6.15
a.m. and 8 p.m. daily while trains will begin services from Batticaloa to
Colombo at 5 p.m. and 8.30 a.m. |
Trains on time
by
Ranil Wijayapala (Daily News 30 Jan 2002)
The Railway Department within the first 25 days
of its 100 day program has achieved a remarkable feat by operating 73 suburban
trains and 17 long distance trains on time, a Transport Ministry spokesman said
yesterday.
The Railway Department's
target is to operate 60 trains on time within the first 25 days to reduce
regular train delays and to minimise train delays within 100 days by operating
all 222 suburban trains on time. The daily availability of locomotives has also
been increased from 127 to 129 within these 25 days as targeted.
The availability of locomotives will be increased
to 140 at a cost of Rs.165 million within the 100 day program. The train
services on the Batticaloa line have also been extended from Polonnaruwa to
Welikanda. It has completed the reservation of seats for pregnant women and
disabled persons in 25 long distance trains.
Under the 100 day program, the Department also
expects to launch a project to reduce signal defects by 10 per cent at a cost
of Rs.1.5 million. The Ministry is also working on a project to revise the
Railway Ordinance to seek private sector participation to increase railway
freight transport, the spokesman said. The existing timetables have also been
reviewed in order to re-schedule them within 100 days program, the spokesman
said. |
Tracks cleared
26 Dec
2001
Hundreds of panicky train
commuters on the Colombo - Badulla line were in for a rude shock on Christmas
eve when they learnt their trains were delayed due to a derailment, railway
sources said. A Badulla bound goods train from Kandy was derailed between
Hatton and Rozella railway stations on MOnday night holding up train service on
the upcountry line for a few hours. As a result, the Colombo Fort- Badulla and
Badulla-Colombo Fort, night mail trains were delayed by four hours, according
to railway sources. The reason for the derailment was a defect on the track.It
was repaired and normal services resumed early yesterday, sources said. (PW)
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