New Delhi, Sep 7 (PTI) The contradictory statements of the loco pilot, guard and station master in the preliminary investigation report into the derailment of the Delhi-bound Sikkim Mahananda Express at Bihar’s Ara Junction have once again highlighted the need to record their walkie-talkie conversations for operational safety.
Two coaches of the Mahananda Express derailed at Bihar’s Ara Junction railway station in the early hours of September 7, 2026, partially disrupting rail traffic for a few hours.
The preliminary investigation held the loco pilot and assistant loco pilot responsible for initially overshooting a red signal and then reversing the train to bring it back to its original position, during which it derailed.
One of the experts on the probe team, however, submitted a dissent note holding the station master responsible for the incident.
However, the contradictions in the statements of the running crew and the station master regarding their conversation over the VHF (Very High Frequency) radio system, also known as a walkie-talkie, could have been resolved only through a voice-recording system.
Both the loco pilot and assistant loco pilot, in their written statements, claimed that the signal was in the off position, indicating permission to proceed.
The guard stated that the loco pilot told him over the VHF set that the signal was in the off position and that he could not see the signal because the train was on a curve.
The station master did not mention the signal aspect in his statement.
Besides the signal aspect, they also gave contradictory accounts regarding the instruction for the train being reversed after it had overshot the signal.
The loco pilot said that the station master asked him to reverse the train about which he informed the guard and got his approval. The guard denied giving permission for the push back.
“The probe team might have relied on the data logger report on the signal aspect to hold the crew responsible for the derailment. However, several investigations into train accidents, particularly the Balasore accident, have revealed that data logger reports cannot always be relied upon, as they have been proven wrong on a few occasions,” a railway expert said.
“One of the crucial safety measures that the zonal railways have failed to implement is the installation of a recording system for walkie-talkie conversations. This was one of the recommendations made by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) following the rear-end collision of two trains in the Waltair Division on October 29, 2023,” he added.
“Recording of conversations made by Station Masters through walkie-talkies (VHF sets) shall be ensured by providing a VHF receiver-cum-recorder in the data logger room,” the CRS had said.
Even before the CRS recommendation, the Railway Ministry had advised all zonal railways, through an official communication dated September 9, 2021, “to make necessary arrangements to install equipment with voice-recording facility for conversations taking place on the Driver/Guard communication channel within the radio coverage area of station VHF sets.” Following the CRS recommendation after the Waltair Division collision, the Ministry once again asked all zones to implement the directive on recording walkie-talkie conversations. However, except at a few stations, the system has yet to be implemented.
“It is sad that despite multiple reminders by the Ministry and CRS recommendations, barring a few stations, recording mechanisms is not place in several zones,” a railway expert said highlighting the need for early implementation. PTI JP NB NB
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