New Delhi/Howrah: Hours after one of the worst train accidents in the country that has claimed at least 288 lives, preliminary investigations suggest that a signalling error is likely to be the key cause of the collision of a fast-moving passenger train with a stationary goods train and the derailment of yet another passenger train in a ghastly incident in Odisha, ThePrint has learnt.
On Friday evening, three trains, the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express (12841), the Sir M Visvesvaraya-Howrah Superfast Express Express (12864), and a freight train were involved a major train accident near the Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore district of Odisha. The incident left over 900 people injured.
According to a preliminary inspection report by five Railways supervisors, the Coromandel Express entered the loopline, derailed and then collided with the goods train. Its dismembered bogies piled up in the adjoining line, where it collided with the incoming Visvesvaraya-Howrah Superfast Express, leading to its derailment as well — all within a few minutes.
The preliminary investigation by the Railways — a copy of which ThePrint has seen — says, “…Signal was given and taken off for up mainline for 12841 (the Coromandel Express) but its train entered the loopline” and collided with the goods train that was in the loopline.
The looplines are constructed in the station area to ease train operations by accommodating more trains — similar to service lanes on the highway where stationary vehicles can be parked. Usually 750 meters long, these looplines act as a parking bay for trains, mostly freight trains.
In the meantime, the Sir M. Visvesvaraya Superfast Express that was passing through the down main line and two of its coaches were derailed and capsized, the investigation report said.
In the Railways, downline refers to tracks departing from zonal/ divisional railway headquarters while upline refers to tracks going towards them.
There is no official confirmation yet about what factors led to the mishap, but Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced that a detailed high-level inquiry will be conducted.
This is in addition to an independent inquiry that will be conducted by the commissioner of railway safety, the minister added.
But highly-placed government sources who didn’t want to be named also told ThePrint that a possible error in the train signalling system could be the reason for the accident.
“The details will come out only after the detailed inquiry. No one can tell the exact cause right now. Signalling error could be one of the reasons,” a source told ThePrint.
Aditya Kumar Chaudhary, chief public relations officer of South Eastern Railway, told ThePrint that this was a preliminary report carried out by inspector-rank railway staff, who work in the field.
“It’s a supervisory-level report. I won’t be able to comment on anything based on the preliminary report. The CRS has already started a detailed inquiry taking into account the different parameters. All aspects related to the reasons behind the accident will come out in that report,” he said, adding that while the commissioner of railway safety is expected to submit a preliminary report on the accident in 30-45 days, the final report may take two-three months.
Also Read: At least 288 killed, 900 injured in Odisha triple train collision, rescue teams racing against time
‘Kavach could have helped avoid this’
One government source explained that the Coromandel Express, which was supposed to go ahead on the main line, entered the loopline and collided with the goods train parked there. The crash caused the Coromandel Express to derail and spill onto the adjoining track.
These coaches then collided with Sir M Visvesvaraya-Howrah, which came from the opposite side just minutes after the first collision, leading to its derailment, the source said, adding that a loco pilot is usually informed about 2 km ahead whether the train would take the main line or the loopline through the signalling system.
A train may be diverted via the loopline if the main lines are blocked by stationary trains. While the train runs at its normal speed on the main line, the speed on the loopline is significantly lower at about 30-50 km/hour as it is usually used as a short bypass for the congested main line.
In this case, the Coromandel Express could travel at a top speed of about 130 km/hour on the main line. But the train entered the loopline at a speed of at least 100 km/hour, the source said.
“How and why the train went on the loopline instead of the main line needs to be found out,” the source said, adding that a signalling error seems to be the only plausible explanation.
The driver, the source said, acts based on the signal alone and cannot see the setting of the loopline or the main line.
“So, if the driver is getting a green signal, that means he has to go on the main line at full speed. Suddenly if the train goes on a loopline, he can’t do anything. Even if he puts the brakes, at that speed, the train will not stop. It takes around 700-800 metres to stop the train,” the source said.
The source added that the accident could have been avoided if Kavach, the indigenous anti-train collision system, had been operational on the route.
“If Kavach had been provided, the train (Coromandel Express), which was coming from behind, would automatically have emergency brakes applied. If there is any obstruction on the track, Kavach automatically applies emergency brakes and stops 300 metres before that obstruction. If Kavach were there these incidents would not happen,” the source said.
Kavach is an automatic train protection system, indigenously developed by the Indian Railways’ Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO) in association with Indian vendors. The system aids loco drivers within specified speed limits.
According to the latest government data available, the technology — developed at a cost of Rs 22 crore — covers only about 2.13 per cent of the country’s railway network, i.e. 1,455 km of a total of 68,000 km.
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)
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