Escalator maintenance of Central Railway is more expensive than Western Railway

Western Railway’s cost per escalator is 1.85 lakh and Central Railway’s is 2.97 lakh

1.13 crore financial loss per annum to Central Railway

Although the escalators in the Mumbai Suburban Railway service are installed for the convenience of passengers, there are always malfunctions. RTI activist Anil Galgali has been informed by the railway administration that the Western Railway spends Rs 1.85 lakh annually on the maintenance of an escalator while the Central Railway spends Rs 2.97 lakh.

RTI activist Anil Galgali had asked the Central and Western Railway administration for various information regarding the escalator. Senior Divisional Electrical Engineer of Western Railway Shakeel Ahmed informed Anil Galgali that there are 106 escalators between Churchgate and Virar. The maintenance cost of an escalator is 1.85 lakhs per annum. While Senior Divisional Electrical Engineer of Central Railway HS Sood informed Anil Galgali that there are 101 escalators between CSTM to Kalyan and CSTM to Vashi. Annual maintenance cost of one escalator is 2.97 lakhs.

Escalator stops 1825 times

The Western Railway, while providing information on escalator closures, has explained that 1825 escalator closures occur in a year. 95 percent of emergency button closures by an unknown person cause the escalator to shut down. HS Sood of Central Railway has admitted that the information about the closed escalator was not available. Information on escalators closed on special days can be provided on request.

Anil Galgali expressed his surprise at the difference in cost of 1.12 lakhs regarding escalator under 2 railways in Mumbai. Due to this, the Central Railway is suffering a financial loss of 1.13 crores per year. In this regard, he has demanded an inquiry from the railway administration and demanded action against the concerned officials. Displeasure has been expressed regarding the fact that the escalators installed for the facility are closed during most of the rush hours, causing problems for the passengers.