Year-ender 2020: Trains halted by Indian Railways, but on right track against COVID-19

Photo for representational purpose

For the first time in its history, Indian Railways did not run passenger trains on its birthday. In 2020, as the railways completed 167 years after its first run on April 16, 1853, no passenger trains ran on the day due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

1974 Railway Strike

Things have been different this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. India is in the middle of a never-before lockdown and since March 22, passenger trains across the country were halted for months. Only essential freight and parcel trains were running to maintain the supply chains. So far over 20,400 tonnes of consignments have been loaded since the lockdown began, transporting over 1,150 tonnes of medical items in various parts of the country till April 18.

"Never in its history, there has been such a long interruption in services. Not during the World Wars, not during the 1974 Railway Strike or any other national calamity or natural disaster. Even in Mumbai, services have never halted for such a long period, even during terror strikes or monsoon. This shutdown of passenger services is unprecedented in history," an Indian Railway spokesperson said.

"We can say that the 1974 railway strike was a bit of exception since no manpower was available to run trains and employees were angry and trade unions were negotiating, but then too during the end days, essential freights ended up running," he added.

The 20-day Indian Railway strike, led by veteran leader and late Railway Minister George Fernandes, was held to demand an eight-hour working day for locomotive staff by All India Railwaymens' Federation (AIRF) and a raise in pay scale, which had remained stagnant for many years.

Mumbai and its lifeline

The interruption in services is rare even for Mumbai, the city where it all started. There have been wars, bomb blasts, terror attacks, strikes, bandhs and even the monsoon that have halted rail services occasionally for a few hours, but a complete shutdown is first to be seen.

"I remember the July 2006 serial train bombings. There had been extensive damage to overhead wires and trains. But we could not afford to stop services. We got the services back on track by 10.45 pm, within four hours of the incident," said a senior officer from Western Railway in Mumbai.

Recalling recent times, he said rains and flooding led to the submerging of rail tracks and suspension of services beyond Nalasopara for some time a few years ago, but services were running in other sections in the worst of monsoon.

The terror attack on Mumbai CSMT in 2008 was another such incident that led to panic and halting of trains for a few hours. "Around 50 people were killed and over 100 injured at the station premises in one of the deadliest attacks on the city, but services were restored early in the morning," said a Central Railway official.

"But with the extended complete lockdown now, passenger services in India have remained closed. We are passing through unforeseen times," another official said

In War and Pandemic

During the first and second World Wars ammunition was produced in railway workshops, particularly hand grenades. The workshop administrative office itself was used as an armoury. The railway workshops produced 4.5-inch howitzer and 25-pounder shell forgings. War-time activities at rail workshops did not just mean churning out more rail coaches for troops, it also meant the building of other vehicular bodies, and hundreds of ambulances, water-cars, tanks and rugged lorries.

Other minor jobs of major wartime importance were heavy orders for tent pegs and accessories of all kinds. Wagons had to be modified to carry guns, machines and ammunition to withstand war fury. During the India-Pakistan war, Indian Railways had worked 24x7 to keep the supply chains running.

During this pandemic, the railway workshops are churning out medical equipment, isolation coaches, masks, sanitizers, and Personal Protective Equipments (PPE). Its buildings are turning into quarantine centres. Railway production units, workshops and field units produced over 30,000 PPEs in April 2020 and almost 1,00,000 in May 2020.

Utilities like face-shields, intubation boxes, diagnosis cubicles and remote-controlled medicine trolleys for operation inside COVID-wards were a few innovations from railway workshops.

The Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) offered to supply 2.6 lakh meals daily from various railway kitchens wherever the district administration is willing and able to pick up cooked meals and distribute them among the needy.