| Man whose greatgrandpa built Matheran rail worries for tourists and locals by riteshexpert on 21 December, 2012 - 03:00 PM | ||
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 riteshexpert | Man whose greatgrandpa built Matheran rail worries for tourists and locals on 21 December, 2012 - 03:00 PM | |
Hussain Adamjee Peerbhoy, whose greatgrandfather built the rail line to Matheran, has sought greater focus on safety after Monday’s derailment of the heritage train, the first major accident in its 105-year history.Peerbhoy, whose family owns a bungalow and two holiday resorts at the hill station, and often takes the toy train to reach there, has written a letter to Central Railway General Manager Subodh Jain, pointing out some areas of concern like unmanned level crossings and the use of rail line as walking path by locals and tourists.The toy train had derailed after running over a group of horses and mules on Monday afternoon near the Matheran railway station. It took six hours to re-rail the train, throwing the shuttle train schedule haywire.Peerbhoy has attached photographs of the vulnerable spots on the 3-km stretch between Aman Lodge and Matheran railway station, which sees hordes of locals and tourists walking on the tracks. He has suggested that all six level crossings on this stretch must have gates manned by railways personnel and tracks should be fenced.Peerbhoy’s great-grandfather, Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy, was knighted by the British government for building the rail line through the rough, hilly terrain without the facility of an aerial survey. His son, Abdul Hussein Adamji Peerbhoy, who executed most of the work, had travelled to Germany to buy four Orenstein and Koppel engines for, what was then called, Matheran Light Railway. One of these engines is now on display at the Matheran railway station. | ||