Bogey On A Bogey

The Shakedown

• The Indian rail network has 1,20,000 bridges nationwide. Over 51,000 are from the 1800s.
  
• 262 declared 'distressed', needing immediate renovation or replacement
  
• Repair and replacement of old bridges was to have been completed in 2004. But nothing has been done so far.
  
• Most ageing bridges in UP, Bihar, Bengal
  The railways don't have operational bridge inspection units, essential for ascertaining the condition of bridges

• In September '02, four coaches of the Howrah-Delhi Rajdhani Express fell into the Dhave river, killing 120 people. Though over 100 years old, the bridge was described as in good condition, and was inspected days before the accident.
  
• In June '01, an old bridge over Kadalundi river in Kerala collapsed as the Mangalore-Madras Mail was passing over it, killing 52. The railways had ignored warnings from the Bridges Rehabilitation Committee in 1989.
  
• In May 2001, the Patna-bound Shramjeevi Express went off a bridge near Jaunpur, killing 12. The bridge was over 100 years old.

nd far from solutions, recent decisions taken by the powers that be may only compound the problem. Like the recent plan by Union rail minister Laloo Prasad Yadav to increase the axle load of goods wagons from 20 MT to 23 MT to boost profits. The Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) of the railways had raised objections, saying it will increase the load on bridges. The ministry, however, pushed ahead with its plans without the requisite RDSO clearance.

In a letter to the Railway Board, the RDSO said the impact of the extra load could be disastrous on long span girder bridges (over 5,000 in number). It also noted that the railways had failed to carry out any studies to ascertain the impact of the added tonnage on damaged and distressed bridges.

Laloo Yadav was not available for comment. But sources close to him insist that safety is not being compromised. "The wagons were anyway carrying the extra load but it was all being done illegally. Now, at least the railways are earning revenue from it," says one of the minister's aides. About renovation of bridges, he says, the work is in progress with funds allocated under the Special Railway Safety Fund (SRSF).

According to the official, the railways have set a new target for completing repairs of bridges, March '08. The target had to be revised since not even half the work has been done. Apart from the 262 distressed bridges, another 1,700 need to be rebuilt and 2,000 strengthened. He maintains that all bridges, including old and distressed ones, are being inspected thoroughly once a year at various levels. But over the years, such assurances have rarely translated into any action. Almost like a ritual, railway manuals and procedure books are opened every time an accident occurs. But the plans drawn up are as quickly forgotten. Till another bridge collapses.