NEW DELHI: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has pulled up Indian Railways for permitting freight trains to run with higher axle loads endangering the safety of the rolling stock, bridges and tracks. It has also pointed that this had led to increasing cases of spring failure, buffer coupler failures and wagon body damage.

In its latest report presented in Parliament, the CAG has charged Railways with ignoring the conditions laid down to ensure safety of rolling stock and tracks. The CAG has warned that permitting load increase by six-to-eight tonnes for coal and iron ore would have an adverse impact on tracks, bridges and rolling stock unless Railways takes immediate action to upgrade its existing rolling stock.

The adverse impact would be even more serious in case of overloading beyond permissible limits. Mere levy of penalty would not be adequate as the damage to track and rolling stock could be very costly, it has stated.

In its reply, the Railway Board stated Carrying Capacity (CC) enhancement was done as a policy after paradigm shift in the conceptual perception of design of track structures from deterministic to parabolistic. The Railways said before allowing the CC+ loading, a review of track modulus as well as the rail and bridge stress was carried out.

Checking overloading

As regards overloading of wagons, it was stated that they had initiated installation of over 100 weighbridges to check the overloading. However, CAG refused to accept the reply given by the Railway Board stating that the enhanced loading of wagons commenced without compliance of conditions.

It said even after the commencement of the increased loading, the weighbridges at most of the locations were still to be provided and the checks were not in place. "This has resulted in overshooting the revised axle tolerance limits," the report stated.

Prior to November 2004, wagons were allowed to be loaded to up to CC+2 tonnes where the permissible axle load was taken as 20.32 tonne.

From November 2004, the loading was permitted to up to CC+4+2 tonne. In May 2005, the Railway Board as a pilot project permitted running of these wagons with up to CC+8+2 tonnes load on 16 identified iron ore routes, in order to increase throughput. Subsequently, wagons loaded with coal up to CC+6+2 tonne were also allowed to run on nominated coal routes.

"The extra loading, however, has to be restricted to up to a maximum axle load of 22.82 tonne," the report said adding, in all 31 iron ore and 41 coal routes were covered under the pilot project.

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