The investigation report raises some serious questions about passenger safety in the Indian Railways.
Nine persons were killed and at least 40 injured after the Sealdah-bound Kanchanjunga Express from Agartala was hit by a goods train from the rear in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district last month.
The Investigation
A preliminary investigation report of the Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety (CCRS) said that the accident came under the “error in train working” category. It labelled the accident an “accident-in-waiting” due to multiple oversights in automatic signal zones.
The report, which examined the evidence and statements on record, stated that the accident “occurred due to lapses at multiple levels in managing the train operations under automatic signal failures.”
Misunderstanding of Rules
A wrong paper authority to cross defective signals was issued to the loco pilot of the goods train, involved by authorities concerned. The paper authority didn't mention the speed that the goods train driver was supposed to follow while crossing the defective signal.There was misinterpretation and misunderstanding of rules at the field level.
“Due to improper authority and that too without adequate information such an incident was “Accident-in-Waiting” and finally occurred on June 17, 2024,” report said.
Signal Failures
Report suggested that the large number of signal failures in the automatic signalling territory was a cause of concern and should be taken up with the concerned authorities to improve reliability in the system.
The report found that on the night of the accident, the signal control office was manned by a technician. “lt is not possible to manage such a major signalling failure by a staff of technician level. Despite being informed about this serious failure, none of them went to the control office to manage and coordinate with other departments,” it said.
Provision of KAVACH
The CRS recommended the need for implementation of the Automatic Train-protection system (KAVACH) on top priority and the use of non-signalling-based systems such as AI-based detection of the RED aspect of the signal and providing an early warning to the loco pilot.
“GPS-based anti-collision systems shall be explored for provision in locomotive cabs across Indian Railways in non-ATP (automatic train protection) territory," it said.
Since the automatic signalling was introduced in January 2023, it was necessary to ensure that all rules applicable to the automatic signalling are implemented properly at the field level. This investigation found that there was no system of checks and balances at the headquarter level and in case of multiple signal failures, there were three options left with the rail administration but they followed none of them.
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