Prabhu orders safety audit of Konkan Railway

Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu today said he has ordered safety audit of the Konkan Railway route to curb accidents and to make train travel safer for passengers.
"Safety of passengers cannot be compromised. I have asked the Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd (KRCL) to conduct a very elaborate safety audit," Prabhu told PTI on board special train between Karmali-Thivim railway stations.
"The KRCL will have to find out areas, which are susceptible to accidents and make railway travel safer for the passengers," the minister said.
The KRCL route had witnessed at least three derailments in the last six months. In one of the accidents this month, a JCB (excavating machine) belonging to a private contractor fell on the track hitting three railway bogies.

Prabhu said the Konkan railway tracks also need a overhaul as they were laid 25 years back.
He announced that KRCL's board of directors will soon be given additional rights, so they need not rush to Delhi to get their files sanctioned.

"We have decided that the corporation will have the rights to execute works up to Rs 40 crore without the need to get approval from the central government," he said.
The minister added that the KRCL's proposal for double-laning of the track would also be put up before the Cabinet for approval. Electrification of KRCL line will also be taken up on priority, he said.

On the issue of unmanned railway crossings across the country, the minister said expertise of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) would be utilised so that these crossings are made accident-free using the remote sensing technology.