Title - On the wrong track

Mumbai's suburban rail network, with its multiple safety features, is considered India’s most accident-proof. Train movements are monitored by the minute. If a train crosses a red signal, it is programmed to come to a halt. There is the dead man’s handle, which ensures that a train stops if the person at the helm falls unconscious. A train stops even on exceeding the speed limit.On Saturday, however, this ‘foolproof’ system was fooled by a simple communication gap when a train halted ahead of a signal. Though mandatory, there is hardly any communication between the control room and motormen. Had the driver been told that the signal had changed from double amber to red, the accident would not have occurred.Worse was the way Western Railway handled the situation. First, it refused to admit the accident. Then it claimed that the buffers of two trains had merely brushed each other. It also sent out a mass SMS saying there were no injuries. If the authorities can’t confirm for more than an hour an accident just a few kilometres from their head office, it raises questions about their efficiency.A similar incident abroad would have resulted in multiple bulletins, with detailed messages guiding commuters. Mumbai commuters were clueless and suffered at stations and in trains. It is time our administrators grew up.