On the fast track to suicide: School children losing life and limb	Missing bolts and nuts	Missing nuts and unsupported joints
Dangling brakes	Blanked brakes

Dr. Frank Wingler of Germany, who is an expert on railways says that even after the recent train disaster at Rambukkana, which was attributed to a brake failure, express trains continue to ply with faulty brake systems.
We publish below some of his recent letters to the Minister of Transport and his pictures highlighting the perilous state of Sri Lankan railways.

Letter I
Trains sans brakes

I have seen again (on Thursday January 29) express trains with faulty brake systems. These trains were with so-called "BLANKED" brakes and overturned brake shoes. I made this observation of Coach No. 15949 at 9.20 a.m. and Coach No. 15553 at 10.49 a.m. on Platform No. 1 at the Colombo Fort Railway station. I informed the guards on duty of those trains, but they didn’t look worried about the defective brakes. I was told that the faulty brakes are normal!

Nobody in the Railway Department seems to care. Hence this letter to you once again.

You should appoint some workmen to monitor the brakes of all running trains. You only have to tell the engine driver to apply the vacuum brakes, and the workmen to take a hammer and knock at the brake shoes. Form the sound you will know which brake shoe is loose and which one is hugging the wheel.

But if the answer of the GMR is that these defective brakes systems are okay by the Sri Lankan safety standards then what follows from it would be how low the awareness of the railway high rankers is about safety standards.

Letter II
Rambukkana disaster forgotten?

I have informed you, that SLR is still running express trains with so-called "BLANKEd BRAKES" even after the recent train tragedy at Rambukkana.

Herewith I send you a photograph of an overturned brake shoe of a blanked brake of the RUHUNU KUMARI Express Train. Today Jan. 31, 02) again this train was running with "BLANKED BRAKES" in three coaches. I was told, it would be useless to take it up with you. It won’t be repaired. Instead, it would be hidden from your eyes by removing it to be used with another train, I was told.

I enclose two photographs of hazardous rail repairs to the coastal line (Jan. 2002). Under the load of running trains, railtracks on soft underground dance and shift. The result is frequent fractures of rails. The repair gangs insert a piece of a rail by cutting between the fishplates, which is against the safety standards anywhere in the world. The GMR must be aware of this. See also the reprint of my article in THE ISLAND Vol. 22, No. 25, 29th Jan. 2002, page 12.

For more than 2 years I have warned of the danger of allowing rail buses to run overcrowded with school children hanging like ‘grapes’ on the doors. I dread to think of consequences in case of this overcrowded rail bus colliding with another vehicle at a level crossing or if it derails on ‘derailment traps’ such as were referred to above. But awareness of hazards is woefully inadequate among the railway high rankers and rail buses will continue to ply like thus exposing children to immense danger.

Letter III

Dangerous signals

(ALARMING SIGNALS", THE ISLAND, Friday 14th December 2001 page 5.)

THE ISLAND has published my repeated observations, that the new colour light signals on the coastal line are switched on only shortly before a train arrives and are switched off seconds after the train leaves not securing occupied loops and sections.

I noticed this again in JANUARY 2002 at the AMBALANGODA RAILWAY STATION.

The operators manning the local signal panel perform their duty properly only when they are aware that they are under my observation. If I leave for Germany, they will continue to do as they did in the past. This is my worry.

On January 28 I watched the crossing of the south bound KANDY - MATARA Train hauled by the M 9 Loco No. 868 with a North bound goods train hauled by the M 8 No. 844 at about 11 a.m., at AMBALANGODA RAILWAY STATION. The Matara bound train from Kandy arrived first, but the Signal No. 524 preventing the train to proceed entering the southbound line occupied by the goods train proceeding from Kahawe north to Ambalangoda was still switched off. Only about 12 seconds before the goods train reached the station with the set switch (point) for the sidetrack, the single 524 turned red.

The crossing took place; the Matara bound train left first and than the northbound goods train second. Seconds after both trains had left the Railway Station the signals were switched off. There were no signal whatsoever.

If signal systems are operated like this, the purpose will be lost. Under these circumstances a red or green flag waved to the engine driver will do.

I informed the Railway Authorities several times of this dangerous practice but they haven’t given two hoots about it.

If they don’t care, who will?

I hope that your will look into this matter at least after the Rambukkana train disaster.

Letter - IV
Hopes dashed?
(written on Feb. 05)

The hazardous common practice of the SLR is that it runs trains with dangling and other defective brakes known as ‘blanked’ vacuum brake cylinders. Unfortunately this practice is still prevalent despite the recent Rambukkana disaster.

I am sending herewith a new set of photos that show dangling brakes of express trains coming down from Kandy. Bolts and nuts are also missing from the frames of the bogies.

It was hoped that at least you would put an end to this kind of recklessness. But still I see nothing of the sort happening.

I also send you a picture of a rail bus packed with school children precariously clinging on to it running at about 80 Km per hour past, mind you, unprotected level crossings towards Ambalangoda.

To enable you to see what goes on by way of repairs to the tracks, I send you a picture, which shows that nuts have already fallen off. If the other nut also goes the same way, inevitably the next train running over it, will derail.

P. S.

A railway foreman says to me, "We know that this is wrong and dangerous. But we have to do like this because we don’t get new rails and fastening materials to do a proper job." (Also see The Island vol. 22, No 32, page 3, Feb. 06, 02