Having been a commuter on the suburban trains myself, I was greatly saddened to know about the rail accident that happened yesterday at Vyasarpadi Jiva. These trains are known to be safe with accidents being caused only due to people crossing the tracks inadvertently or due to passengers hanging outside the coaches and getting hit by external objects. But I do not recall any accident involving Chennai suburban commuter trains of this magnitude in the past 15 years.
There were several theories doing the rounds yesterday including one that likened this to the 9/11 attacks where pilots hijacked planes. Security in railway stations in Chennai as with other cities is virtually non-existent. In the Chennai Central Station, it is limited to a few areas and not very seriously taken. It is time we started treating security in railway stations on par with that of airports, as this is the second major incident after the Mumbai terror attacks involving a railway station. Some of the steps the authorities could take are:
- Installing a camera in the driver’s compartment of the train and in every station to record entry of visitors
- Easier means of turning power off in the suburban train
- Training the railway staff on acting in emergencies
- Controlling access to the driver’s compartment through electronic access
Hope the railway authorities take cue from this incident and take adequate measures to provide passengers a safe environment for travel.
