Central Railway tries to bridge the gap without much success

Railway authorities in the city have got down to working out a solution to the problem of increased gap between the platform and the floor of trains created by the newer air-suspension-fitted Siemens and Bombardier rakes.

According to sources, CR general manager SK Sood spoke to the design team of the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, which has made the rakes, this week on the issue.

dna on December 5 had first reported about how these new rakes left more than an acceptable and safe gap between the platform and the floor of the train.

For example, the Siemens rakes have a floor height of almost 1,220mm; as per railway rules, it should be around 1,187mm to 1,197mm from the top of the tracks. The new Bombardier rake stabled at Virar car shed is a touch worse, with floor height of 1,230mm.

Sources, however, told dna that the issue has got knotty as the railway ministry’s civil engineering department wasn’t in favour of tampering with the current height specifications for platforms, which is between 760mm and 840mm from the top of the tracks. The department said a lower height for the trains could end up leading to sparking or even derailment.