<p> The suspension of the famous Neral- Matheran toy train has posed not only financial problem for the Central Railway, but raised concern of passenger safety as it is a challenge for the Railways to put in place advanced services on the 21-km long hilly stretch.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Services of the 109-year-old toy train, synonymous to the tourist spot located in the Western Ghats range of Raigad district, was suspended early this week after two incidents derailment on May 2 and May 7.<br /><br />Following which, CR constituted a committee to probe the incidents.<br />"Our main concern is not just the restoration of services temporarily, but safety of the entire stretch on a permanent basis. And it does not seem to be taking place, because there are remote chances of installing technological advancements into operation on this hilly route," a senior CR officer said requesting anonymity.<br /><br />"There is ample fund but investing on that particular route is not economically viable for the railways because the spot has limited tourist footfall," the officer said.<br /><br />Operation of the 610 MM narrow gauge heritage train has been economically inviable as CR spends about Rs 13 crore annually, while the profit stands only at Rs 3 crore.<br /><br />CR has deployed 222 railway officers and staffers, including 67 break porters, to operate the 26 services in a single day for carrying not more than 1,500 passengers a day.<br /><br />Recently, the Railway minister had stated that senior most zonal officer and the Divisional Railway Manager would be held responsible if any mishap occur under their jurisdiction.<br /><br />In wake of the minister's remarks, another senior CR official said it has sent them in a tizzy when it comes to Matheran toy train service.<br /><br />The Neral-Matheran Light Railway was built between 1901 and 1907 by Adamji Peerbhoy (1846–1913), an Indian business and philanthropist by investing Rs 16 lakh.</p>
<p> The suspension of the famous Neral- Matheran toy train has posed not only financial problem for the Central Railway, but raised concern of passenger safety as it is a challenge for the Railways to put in place advanced services on the 21-km long hilly stretch.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Services of the 109-year-old toy train, synonymous to the tourist spot located in the Western Ghats range of Raigad district, was suspended early this week after two incidents derailment on May 2 and May 7.<br /><br />Following which, CR constituted a committee to probe the incidents.<br />"Our main concern is not just the restoration of services temporarily, but safety of the entire stretch on a permanent basis. And it does not seem to be taking place, because there are remote chances of installing technological advancements into operation on this hilly route," a senior CR officer said requesting anonymity.<br /><br />"There is ample fund but investing on that particular route is not economically viable for the railways because the spot has limited tourist footfall," the officer said.<br /><br />Operation of the 610 MM narrow gauge heritage train has been economically inviable as CR spends about Rs 13 crore annually, while the profit stands only at Rs 3 crore.<br /><br />CR has deployed 222 railway officers and staffers, including 67 break porters, to operate the 26 services in a single day for carrying not more than 1,500 passengers a day.<br /><br />Recently, the Railway minister had stated that senior most zonal officer and the Divisional Railway Manager would be held responsible if any mishap occur under their jurisdiction.<br /><br />In wake of the minister's remarks, another senior CR official said it has sent them in a tizzy when it comes to Matheran toy train service.<br /><br />The Neral-Matheran Light Railway was built between 1901 and 1907 by Adamji Peerbhoy (1846–1913), an Indian business and philanthropist by investing Rs 16 lakh.</p>