NB In List | CRS Probe in Odisha train accident finds major lapses in signalling-circuit alteration: 10 key points

New Delhi, July 04: A high-level inquiry by the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) has found “wrong signalling” as the main cause for the train accident in Odisha's Balasore on 2nd June that killed 292 people and injured over 1000.

 

 

 

1. The Indian Railways’ Signal and Telecommunication department has reportedly been found primarily responsible for the incident.

 

2. The station master, a part of the operations department, was also said to have been responsible for not being able to detect the “abnormal behaviour” of the automated signalling system.

 

3. The CRS investigators also said that the first of the three collisions that occurred on June 2 was due to the recent repair work conducted at the signalling circuit to fix frequent problems at a nearby railroad, reported Reuters.

 

4. The signalling staff at the site which carried out the repair work on the day of the accident said they were “misled” by the wrong lettering on the terminal and the circuit which showed that the automated system which guides a train from one track to another or the “point” had been shifted in the past, as per Indian media reports citing the official findings.

 

5. Report says similar incident happened on May 16, 2022 at Bankranayabaz station due to wrong wiring and cable fault and corrective measures were not taken.

 

6. The probe also found that the completion wiring diagram, which shows the technician the correct way of reconnecting the wires after maintenance work, was changed back in 2015 and was duly approved but the change of the labelling had not been done physically.

 

7. Additionally, this approved circuit diagram for replacing the electric lifting barrier at the level crossing gate 94 had not been given to the signalling staff which conducted the repair work on the day and led to “wrong wiring” by field supervisors.

 

8. It also noted non-compliance with standard operating procedures during the repair work.

 

9. Report recommends updating completion signalling wiring diagrams, other documents and lettering of signalling circuits at site.

 

10. It also suggests following standard procedures for signalling modification in the presence of an officer, besides sending a separate team for checking and testing updated signalling circuits and functions.

 

 

According to the railway officials, Coromandel Express, which was travelling at a speed of around 128 kilometres per hour, met with an accident near Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore, Odisha. The crash involved three trains – Yesvantpur-Howrah Superfast Express (12862), Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express (12841), and a goods train.

 

Coromandel Express, which was supposed to continue on the main line, accidentally changed course and entered the loop line, on which a freight train laden with iron ore was already halted, and hit the goods train.

The crash was India’s worst rail disaster in two decades and led to the death of nearly 300 people and injured more than 1,000 people.