BENGALURU: In the first review meeting of the South Western Railway Zone after assuming office, Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has suggested out-of-turn promotions for railway staff who take timely action to avert accidents.
Such schemes would go a long way towards boosting the morale of staff, he told top railway officials during a closed-door meeting at the Divisional Railway Manager’s office on Saturday. “The recent railway accidents were unfortunate and they should not recur,” a release quoted him as saying. Goyal emphasised that safety should be given top most priority and track renewal works shall be expedited. The Minister also called upon staff to work diligently to ensure safety when running trains.
To enhance safety, Goyal also asked Railways to develop an action plan to eliminate unmanned level crossing gates within the next one year. The initial target for removing such crossings was the financial year 2019-2020. Railway officials informed him that a mechanised laundry for washing linen supplied to passengers on AC coaches was set up in Bengaluru and is under the trial phase. A total of 207km of doubling of railway tracks is being planned apart from foot over-bridges for four railway stations.