Will the upcoming Bullet Train also run on flooded tracks?

After monsoon rains hit Mumbai, there is total chaos in the city. Almost everywhere there are massive traffic jams and water logging problems. This crisis forced a reaction even from a court. While hearing the petition filed by Smita Mayank Dhurva, President of Congress’s South Mumbai division, a division bench of Justice Naresh Patil and Justice Girish Kulkarni said, “Is there any technology available internationally, which allows trains to move on tracks submerged in water. Will the upcoming Bullet Train also run on flooded tracks?”

This was in response to details being divulged on how big the problem was. Heavy rain in the city leads to massive problems being faced by citizens. The problems are not just limited to roads, they also affected Railways and airlines too.

To deal with this issue a joint meeting was suggested to be held between the General Managers of the Western and Central Railways by the Bombay High Court on Thursday, DNA reported. The meeting was suggested to deal with the everyday problems faced by the passengers of suburban Railways, which assume massive proportions during monsoon time as trains are cancelled due to flooded tracks.

“A meeting of the two general managers would be convened in a few days and issues of railway bridges, foot-over bridges, platform heights, safe entry/exit of passengers from platforms, security of women, handicapped and old persons, etc will be discussed in details and recommendations/suggestions to improve facilities will be deliberated on,” said Anil Singh, Additional Solicitor General, appearing for the government.

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"Every year during monsoons tracks get submerged in water in low-lying areas. Why can not the Railways identify such spots and elevate the tracks?" asked Justice Girish Kulkarni.

To prevent the loss of life and for safety purposes, the divisional bench asked the rail authorities to carry out a structural audit to look after all the bridges on the suburban line. It was asked to do to also avoid bridge collapses like the recent one which took place in Andheri. “Constitute a special body, have a disaster management plan for the suburban railways, ensure no bridge collapses occur, as these lead to a loss of life,” said the bench. Railways now also need to implement measures for better crowd management.