The triple train accident in Odisha on June 2, 2023 is known as one of the world’s worst rail accidents in the world, in which more than 280 people died and more than 900 people were injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the site of the incident in Odisha’s Balasore district and said the government would leave no stone unturned to punish the guilty. Earlier, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav announced that a high-level inquiry has been initiated to ascertain the cause of the accident. While initial reports suggested that the Coromandel Express had collided with a goods train, this was later denied by the Indian Railways.
Various theories are doing the rounds on various social media platforms as to how the crash happened. However, preliminary investigation has revealed that the Coromandel Express train involved in Friday’s rail tragedy in Odisha entered the loop line and rammed into a goods train standing there instead of the main line just ahead of Bahanagar Bazar station. ,
What caused the accident?
According to a report submitted to the Railway Board, the Coromandel Express from Shalimar to Chennai Central was running at a speed of 128 kmph when a possible signaling failure sent the train to the loop line instead of the main line just ahead of Bahanagar Bazar Railway. Gave. station. The express train then ended up in a parked goods train on the loop line, resulting in 4-5 coaches being scattered on the adjacent track.
At the same time, the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express was running at a speed of 116 kmph. The coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express overturned after colliding with the coaches of the Coromandel Express, which were scattered on the adjacent track.
Loop lines of the Indian Railways are built in a station area – in this case, Bahanagar Bazar station – to accommodate more trains to ease operations. Loop lines are usually 750 meters long to accommodate a full-length freight train with multiple engines, reports PTI.
Anubhav Das, an eyewitness to the incident, also told PTI that local officials and railway officials had initially indicated that the train he was traveling in – the Coromandel Express – collided with the goods train. However, none of these accounts was officially confirmed by the Railways. While a thorough investigation is underway, so far no official has spoken about any possibility of sabotage.
While sources had earlier said that signaling failure could be the reason behind the accident, railway officials said it was not yet clear whether the Coromandel Express entered the loop line and hit the stationary goods train or it first derailed. got off and then collided with a stationary train after entering the park. loop line. The preliminary inquiry report, a copy of which is with PTI, said that while train number 12841 (Coromandel Express) was signaled for Up main line and derailed, the train entered the loop line, collided with a goods train and derailed. got off from
Meanwhile, train number 12864 passed through the down main line and two of its coaches derailed and overturned, reports said. Sudhanshu Mani, former general manager of Integral Coach Factory, Chennai and the man who led the team that built the first Vande Bharat train, prima facie denied any lapse on the part of the two loco pilots involved in the tragedy and said the primary reason behind the massive accident was The reason was the first derailment and the unfortunate timing of the second passenger train, which came at a very high speed from the other direction.
Mani said that if it was the derailment of the first train, the LHB coaches would not have overturned and so many casualties would not have been reported. “While the reason for the derailment of the first train may not be a matter of conjecture, as of now, I do not see any evidence of a SPAD case, which means the driver is overriding the signal. I was on the right track. Shows that the signal was green,” Mani said.
Kavach Anti-Collision Technology
The national transporter has also stated that the anti-train collision system “Kavach” was not available on the route. Railways is in the process of installing “Kavach”, an anti-train collision system, in its network. Indian Railways spokesperson Amitabh Sharma said, “The rescue operation has been completed. Now, we are starting the restoration work. Kavach was not available on this route.”
Kavach alerts when a loco pilot jumps a signal (Signal Passed at Danger – SPAD), which is a major cause of train collisions. The system can alert the loco pilot, control the brakes and stop the train automatically if the train notices another train on the same line within a specified distance.
Indian Railways has appointed AM Choudhary, CRS, SE Circle, to investigate the accident. The Commissioner of Railway Safety works under the Ministry of Civil Aviation and investigates all such accidents. An Indian Railways spokesperson said, “AM Chowdhary, CRS, SE Circle, will conduct an inquiry into the accident.” The accident involved the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train.