Skyline
SENIOR MEMBER
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2011
- Messages
- 3,640
- Reaction score
- 0
- Country
- Location
This is not the main news which I have posted, I just reply to the previous member. here's the complete then,
NAVIGATE:Home » » Alawwa train mishap due to low quality power sets
Alawwa train mishap due to low quality power sets
September 21, 2011, 10:00 pm
By Maheesha Mudugamuwa
The train accident which occurred on Saturday evening in Alawwa was caused by the use of low quality power sets imported from India, alleged convener of the Association for the Protection of the Rights of Railway Employees and Assets Sumathipala Manawadu.
Although railway power sets should be produced with a minimum metallic component of 90 percent, the outer layer of those imported Indian power sets were largely produced with fiber, Manawadu added.
He said that the railway authorities needed to discontinue the use of low quality S11 Indian power sets.
"The financial loss to the Railway Department may be Rs.300 million," he said.
Manawadu said that the transport authorities ignored the warnings which were issued about the coming disasters due to the use of such low quality power sets.
He pointed out that it takes two minutes on average for two trains to cross each others paths between train signals, but the trains that collided took seven minutes which signify that they were traveling slower than an average train.
Addressing the media, M. A. Rathnasiri said that the train collision was one of several high-profile public transportation accidents in Sri Lanka in the recent past.
He stressed that more railway accidents had occurred near the Veyangoda railway signals, but officials never reported them.
Sri Lanka Railway Workers Association member S. P. Vithanage said that committees appointed in the past to investigate similar incidents had not been fruitful and a fair inquiry was necessary to identify the cause of the collision.
He said that the authorities had failed to take note of the technical issues pertaining to the power sets.
