Pune: All 16 diamond crossings in the Pune railway division would be removed by the end of this year as part of the yard remodelling project, a senior official said 11 days after Vande Bharat Express derailed near Pune station.The focus would be on intensive maintenance of diamond crossings till then, the official said. “The construction of two out of six additional platforms under the yard remodelling project project has also begun,” he said.Diamond crossings drew attention after Vande Bharat Express derailed on April 27 evening while entering platform number 3 of Pune Junction station. The Central Railway said the derailment occurred because of a non-standard diamond crossing and stressed on replacement of such crossings.The railway authorities said immediate removal of diamond crossings was not practical because it would require repeated traffic blocks, severely affecting train operations. Hemant Kumar Behera, divisional commercial manager and the PRO of the Pune rail division, said the railways intended to complete the replacement work during major blocks planned under the yard remodelling project.“Some major blocks would be taken for executing the yard remodelling project and the movement of trains would be affected. Our plan is to complete the replacement of diamond crossings at one go rather than repeatedly taking blocks,” Behera said.A diamond crossing is a railway intersection where two or more tracks cross each other, creating a shape of diamond. Non-standard diamond crossings are those built without following the standard rules and diagram prescribed by the Railway Board. Railway officials did not clarify which of the 16 diamond crossings in Pune division were non-standard.Till the diamond crossings are replaced, the Pune railway division would focus on their upkeep. “The switches used to change tracks are being replaced. Track sleepers are being changed so that the lines remain intact and get proper support. Oiling and greasing works are also being carried out regularly,” an official said.Railway users’ representatives questioned the delay in the yard remodelling project and removal of diamond crossings. Anand Saptarshi, one of the representatives, said, “Work on the yard remodelling should have been completed long back because the railways has been talking about it since 2017. The diamond crossings issue is related to an accident and cannot be taken lightly. We will talk to the railways on the same.“
