An internal probe into the tragedy in Odisha, in which 293 people were killed, found lapses at multiple levels
An investigation by India’s Commission of Railway Safety into the triple-train collision accident near Balasore in Odisha on June 2, that killed 293 people and left 900 injured, has found that faulty connections in the signalling system resulted in incorrect messages being sent to the trains.
According to a report submitted to the Railway Board last week and cited by several media outlets on Monday, mis-labeling of wires inside a level-crossing location box were left undetected.
The document pins the signaling department as primarily responsible for the accident, also noting that the Bahanaga Bazaar station master failed to detect “abnormal behavior” in the signaling control system. The report notes that the tragedy could have been averted if past red flags were not ignored.
According to the Indian Express newspaper, which cites the report, the signaling staff at the site said that while they were replacing an electric lifting barrier at the level crossing on the day of the accident, they were “misled” by “anomalies.” They noted that the location box, where the wires were connected, contained incorrect lettering, meaning they wrongly indicated their functions.
The investigators found that as early as in 2015, the completion wiring diagram which shows technicians how the wiring is meant to be reconnected after maintenance work was changed on paper, and duly approved. However, the change of labeling was not performed physically. “The circuit names… were not corrected on the terminal rack,” the outlet cited the report as saying.
Sources in the Railway Ministry told The Hindu newspaper that the 40-page report has been submitted to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s office, and to the Railway Board, but has yet to be approved by the board. If the report is accepted, multiple recommendations arising from it will be made to different departments, the officials claimed. Meanwhile, multiple staff changes have been initiated in the ministry, is viewing the accident “with seriousness”.
The Commission also found that about two weeks before the Odisha accident, the Kharagpur division of railways had a similar incident at Bankra Nayabaz station, where a mismatch between the intended route set by the signals and the actual route taken by a train was indicated. The mismatch was linked to wrong wiring and cable fault.
