Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Oct 12: In yet another apparent case of signal failure, a speeding express train rammed into a stationary goods train parked in the loop line at Kavaraippettai near Gummidipoondi in the Chennai Division of Southern Railway on Friday night.
The accident though was not very fatal, it has raised the question of railway safety. The accident led to 12 coaches being derailed and 19 people injured; over 1,300 passengers were on the express train. A power car also caught fire.
Fortunately no deaths have been reported so far and the injured are receiving treatment at state-run hospitals. The other – now stranded – passengers were taken via buses to state capital Chennai and accommodated on a special train to their respective destinations.
The derailment took place around 40 km from Chennai. As a result of the derailment and ongoing repair work multiple trains have been cancelled or diverted; at least 18 trains scheduled for the day have been cancelled.
A high-level inquiry has been ordered, while Chief Minister MK Stalin has expressed shock and asked for rescue operations to be sped up. Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Saturday lashed out at the Centre and said, “Union Government should take steps to stop the train accidents. It has now become a sequel of incidents.”
The Southern Railway Manager R.N. Singh has said the Mysuru-Dharbhanga Express entering the loop line despite having the signals set for the main line was “unusual.” Not elaborating on the signal failure, Mr Singh after visiting the scene of the accident in Tiruvallur district said the injured passengers were moved to the nearest hospitals.
The passenger train should have been switched to the main line but “something wrong happened”, Mr Singh said. The train was inadvertently switched to a closed section of the track on which the goods train was parked.
“It is too early to say exactly what happened,” Mr Singh said, noting that signal had been set for the main line while the track switched the train to the closed loop. “The train was headed to Gudur (in Andhra Pradesh). It stopped at Kavaraippettai Railway Station in Tiruvallur, where a goods train also headed to Gudur was on the loop line.”
“It (the express) was given priority (and) was supposed to pass through the main line,” he explained, “But despite the signal clearance for the main line, the passenger train entered the loop line and hit the goods train from behind, leading to the engine derailment.” Officials said the later reported a ‘heavy jerk’ before entering the loop line.
In a press statement, the Railway Board also admitted that the passenger train was given a green signal for the main line. Still, it experienced a jerk and entered the loop line, resulting in a collision with the freight train. A high-level enquiry has been ordered into the incident.
Experts and union leaders said according to the data-logger video, the Mysuru-Darbhanga Express train was given a green signal to pass through the main line, however, it entered a loop line already occupied by the freight train. The data logger is a device placed in the station area to capture train movements and signal aspects, among other things.
In Balasore, the Howrah-bound Coromandel Express was given a green signal for the main line. However, due to the wrong interlocking of tracks, it entered a loop line and collided with a stationary goods train.
Track restoration work at the accident site is underway, with officials from Southern Railway, Principal Heads of Departments, and other railways at the site, the statement adds. Southern Railways’ Senior Public Relations Officer, D. Om Prakash, has issued a request for passengers to be aware of the train diversion and rescheduled list.
The empty goods train taking the impact of the rear-end collision as well as the inbuilt safety features in the Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches played a vital role in minimising casualties in the Chennai accident. The express train, speeding at about 90 kmph, was to pass through the Kavaraippettai railway station via the main line for which signals were cleared. But the train entered into the loop line where the goods train was parked.
The Southern Railway is carrying out extensive rescue and relief operations in coordination with multiple agencies. The restoration efforts are being carried out with maximum urgency and precision to ensure the safety of tracks, signals and other operational aspects, officials said.
A senior official from the railway safety conducted a statutory inspection at the Kavaraippettai rail accident site. Assisted by senior officials of Southern Railway, Commissioner of Railway Safety, Southern Circle, Bengaluru, A M Chowdhary initiated a thorough inspection of the track, points and blocks, signals, station electronic interlocking systems, control panels and other significant safety, signal and operational aspects, Chief Public Relations Officer, Southern Railway, M Senthamil Selvan, said in a release.
The Government Railway Police of Korukkupet booked a case in connection with the train accident at Kavaraippettai. A National Investigation Agency (NIA) officer visited the spot at Kavaraippettai to look the sabotage angle of the accident.
The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday attacked the Centre over the train accident in Tamil Nadu, saying no lessons have been learnt despite many lives lost in numerous accidents and asked how many more families must be destroyed before the government wake up.
Mr Gandhi asserted that accountability starts at the top. In a post on X, Mr Gandhi said, “The Mysuru-Darbhanga train accident mirrors the horrific Balasore accident–a passenger train colliding with a stationary goods train.” “Despite many lives lost in numerous accidents, no lessons are learned. Accountability starts at the top. How many more families must be destroyed before this government wakes up,” the former Congress chief said.