A day after a deadly train accident in which nine people were killed and over two dozen injured in the Phansidewa area, Darjeeling district, West Bengal, the drone visuals on Tuesday showed the current situation at the site. Parts of the coaches of Kanchanjungha Express and a goods train were scattered along the tracks. Railways workers were still there to ensure smooth passage of trains on the route.
Rail services resume after 12 hours
After the accident, the Railways administration engaged in relief and restoration operations ensuring the normal running of trains. The Railways staffers cut coaches and removed them from the tracks and made them available for normal operation in 12 hours.
Goods train driver violated speed restriction norms, says Railway Board
Prima facie findings into the Kanchanjungha Express accident show that the goods train violated speed restrictions it had to follow given the “defective” automatic signalling system on the section and rammed into the stationary passenger train while “over-speeding”, the Railway Board said on Monday.
Seven passengers and two railway staffers were killed and 41 injured in the accident that occurred on the Ranipatra Railway Station (RNI)-Chattar Hat Junction (CAT) stretch in the state’s Darjeeling district in the morning.
The board said though the driver of the goods train was given authorisation to cross all red signals between RNI and CAT as the automatic signalling system was “defective”, the train’s speed was above the permissible limit prescribed for this kind of a situation.
The goods train driver was “over-speeding” and due to this, it rammed into the Kanchanjungha Express between RNI and CAT, the board said while responding to reports that the driver, who was killed in the accident, was given a written authority called TA 912 by the station master of Ranipatra authorising him to cross all red signals.
However, the Railway Board did not give out the speed the goods train was travelling at on the section.
The driver of the Kanchanjungha Express adhered to the norms to be followed during a defect in the automatic signalling system, stopped at all red signals for one minute and proceeded at 10 kmph, but the goods train’s driver “disregarded” the norms and hit the stationary passenger train from behind, the board said.
Explaining the norms, an official of the board said, “The TA 912 was issued to the (goods train) driver and, according to norms, when encountering an automatic signal at “ON” aspect (red signal) and after waiting for the prescribed time, the driver should have proceeded with great caution at a speed not exceeding 15 kmph where visibility is good, and not exceeding 10 kmph where visibility is not good until the next stop signal.”
(With agencies inputs)