On June 2, a major train accident in Odisha sent shockwaves through India. It was a horrifying scenario, and the pictures from the tragic accident site shocked the world. The tragic accident claimed 278 lives and injured 1,100 others. The Central Bureau of Investigation is investigating the cause of the accident to rule out criminal tampering of the electronic interlocking system and establish if the crash occurred due to a signalling error.
Three trains, Coromandel Express, Howrah Superfast, and a stationary good train laden with iron ore, were involved in the accident- the Chennai-bound Coromandel Express derailed and hit into a stationery goods train loaded with iron ore at the Bahanaga Bazar station; another train, the Yesvantpur-Howrah Superfast collided into both the derailed trains. The Coromandel Express and the Howrah Superfast were carrying over 2000 passengers. Both trains were operating at a considerable speed- the Coromandel Express was running at 127km/hour.
This is India’s worst train accident in 20 years. In their first briefing on the accident, Indian Railways officials said investigations would focus on the failure of the track management system. The electronic interlocking system serves as the central control system for the signalling infrastructure of the Indian Railways. It is a networked system that connects signals, crossings, and points, which together make up the signalling system. Its primary function is to enable smooth and safe movement of trains throughout the extensive 120,000 km railway network, preventing any potential collisions or disruptions.
The system ensures that a running train doesn’t enter a track that is occupied and two trains moving on the same track don’t collide. For instance, if a train (Train A) is travelling down, or stationary on one path and a second train (Train B) is approaching it, the system is automatically programmed to change signals or points to slow down or divert Train A.
The principal executive director for signalling, Sandeep Mathur, explains the significance of this system, “The computer-controlled track management system, called the “interlocking system”, directs a train to an empty track at the point where two tracks meet.”
He further explained, “It also coordinates and controls the signal to an oncoming train, indicating whether the train has to move straight or switch to a new track.”
In this case, the Coromandel Express entered a loop track after moving out of the main track and crashed into a goods train that was parked on the track. Mr Mathur says the interlocking system shouldn’t have allowed the passenger train to enter the loop track when another train was parked there.
Another member of the Railway Board Jaya Varma Sinha said, “It is supposed to be tamper-proof, error-proof. It is called a fail-safe system, even if it fails the signal will turn red, and the train will be stopped, however, as it is being suspected, there was some kind of a problem in the system.”
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said a change in the track configuration could be the cause of the accident and that “whoever has done this will be not spared”.
“The setting of the point machine was changed. How and why it was done will be revealed in the probe report,” said Vaishnaw.
“The root cause of the horrifying incident has been identified… I do not want to go into details. Let the report come out. I will just say that the root cause and the people responsible for the criminal act have been identified,” he said.
The CBI arrived at the site in Balasore on Tuesday morning to investigate the incident.
SK Sinha, founder of L2M Rail – a startup endeavouring to boost safety and sustainability of the Railways Industry was quoted as saying by NDTV that it was unlikely that the electronic interlocking system had failed on its own.
The electronic interlocking systems used in Indian Railways are quite robust and conform to the highest level of safety standards and it is unlikely that it would have failed on its own,” Mr Sinha was quoted as saying.
Train accidents are not uncommon in India. An audit report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) said nearly three in four of the 217 major train accidents in the country between 2017-18 and 2020-21 were due to derailments. The report shows the main factor behind derailments was related to “maintenance of tracks”.
Other causes of accidents in India are overspeeding trains, natural causes such as landslides and cyclones, trespassing, and collision between two trains on the same track.
Be it any reason, Indian railways need urgent attention to safeguard the life of millions of passengers, who trust railways as a reliable source of commute on an everyday basis.
