Eleven trains derail last month due to maintenance and geological issues

Colombo, July 1 (Daily Mirror) - A total of eleven trains on the upcountry and coastal railway lines have derailed in the past month due to maintenance errors with the rail tracks, train engines, compartments and geological reasons, the Railways Department said.

According to investigations, most derailments were caused by failures of the wheels on engines and compartments. Some derailments were due to poor maintenance of the tracks, especially on the upcountry line.

Most of the rail tracks are beyond repair due to the area's geographical conditions. It was revealed that the failure to implement proper railway safety rules caused certain derailments. It was also reported that some train compartments and engines assigned to the upcountry line were not suitable for operations there. The recent derailments were also caused by the use of unsuitable train carriages and engines on the upcountry railway line. Additionally, the loosening of soil be neath the rail tracks contributed to the derailments, an official of the Department said.

He told the Daily Mirror that the first train derailment was reported on June 3 between Kotagala and Hatton. Train No. 1007, which had left Colombo Fort for Badulla, derailed between the Kotagala and Hatton stations.

Then, engine No. MN9/866 derailed at Colombo Fort. A service train derailment was reported between Waga and Padukka on June 6, followed by another service train derailment on the same day.

A tank railcar (10097) derailed at the Colombo Yard, followed by another tank railcar (10239) on June 8 and yet another (10356) on June 9, all at the Colombo Yard.

On June 13, the Maradana-bound Panadura train (8339) derailed near the Panadura railway station, disrupting services on the coastal line. One of the compartments struck a nearby signal post, completely disabling the signal system. On the same day, a train (1008) travelling from Badulla to Colombo derailed between Thalawakele and Watagoda. The derailment took several hours to repair, causing significant delays in restoring normal service.

The 'Tikiri Menike' train (1033) derailed between Talawakelle and Watagoda on June 15 while travelling to Nanu Oya via Kandy from Colombo. As a result, the Udarata Menike express train, scheduled to depart for Badulla via Kandy from Colombo at 3:30 a.m. that day, was limited to the Hatton train station. The Railways Department later announced the cancellation of the express train scheduled to leave for Badulla from Colombo.

The Podi Menike Intercity express train bound for Badulla from Colombo Fort derailed on June 28 between Galboda and Watawala.

On June 30, the Badulla night mail train derailed between Inguru Oya and Galaboda railway stations, leading to the cancellation of two short-distance train services that day.