Galvanised steel to help check rail accidents, improve infrastructure: HZL

Galvanised steel can help in improving the longevity of Indian Railways infrastructure: HZL

Vedanta group's Hindustan Zinc Ltd (HZL) has suggested to the government that it replace fish plates and rails with galvanised steel as it is corrosion resistant and will help reduce accidents and derailments.

There has been a spate of rail accidents recently leading to loss of lives.

"Corrosion has been one of the major areas of concern for Railways.... The corrosion and deterioration of fish plates and rails has been identified as few reasons for such accidents," HZL CEO Sunil Duggal has said in a letter to the railways ministry.

He said the company is of view is that use of corrosion resistant infrastructure will promote safety and reduce maintenance costs.

"In this regard, we wish to seek appointment from the minister (Rail Minister Piyush Goyal) and would like to give him a detailed presentation on how Zinc galvanised steel can help in improving the longevity of Indian Railways infrastructure," the letter said.

Duggal said that technical representatives of International Zinc Association would also accompany him on his meeting with the minister.

Three trains jumped off the tracks and another derailment was averted on September 7 in Uttar Pradesh, New Delhi and Maharashtra within a span of nine hours.

The derailments were the first since Goyal shifted to Rail Bhavan after the recent Cabinet recast. Suresh Prabhu, his predecessor, had reportedly offered to step down taking moral responsibility for two previous accidents.

On August 20, 14 coaches of the high-speed Kalinga-Utkal Puri Haridwar Express had derailed in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district, killing at least 23 people and leaving scores injured. The train was on its way to Haridwar from Puri.

Three days later, nine coaches of the Delhi-bound Kaifiyat Express had derailed in the Auraiya district of Uttar Pradesh after it collided with a dumper, which had strayed on to the tracks, leaving around 100 passengers injured.