Signal failure among lapses to blame for Kanchanjunga train mishap: Probe

Shubhadeep Choudhury

New Delhi, July 16

Contrary to the Railway Board’s stance blaming the deceased loco pilot of a goods train for the accident, the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) probing the Kanchanjunga Express tragedy found that lapses at multiple levels in handling operations, including signal failures, led to the mishap.

Ten persons, including the loco pilot, were killed and at least 40 injured when the Sealdah-bound Kanchanjunga Express from Agartala was hit by the goods train from the rear in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district, 11 km from New Jalpaiguri station.

In its probe into the June 17 accident, the CRS noted 208 cases of Signal Passing at Danger (red signal overshooting) taking place between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2024, in automatic signalling territory, of which 12 cases resulted in collision.

“This was a cause for concern and should be taken up with those concerned to improve the reliability of the system,” the probe report said, suggesting taking up on “top priority” implementation of the automatic train-protection system (KAVACH).

The CRS said a paper authority or T/A 912 to cross defective signals was issued to the loco pilot of the goods train involved in the accident. But the paper didn’t mention the speed that a train driver was supposed to follow while crossing the defective section stretching 14 km between Rangapani and Chhattarhat railway stations having nine signals in between.

According to the Railway Board, some circuits and fuses of the relay hut between Rangapani and Chhattarhat were shorted due to lightning and all the signals between these two stations had turned red as a result. In such a situation, the protocol of the loco pilot is to stop for one minute in day time and two minutes after night sets in at all the signals and not to exceed the speed of 15 km per hour.

“The protocol is same across the country and this was followed in this case as well. Unfortunately, the loco pilot of the goods train did not interpret the authority properly. However, the loco pilot of Kanchanjunga train had interpreted it correctly and had stopped at the red signal,” the Railway Board said in a statement, reiterating its chairperson Jaya Verma Sinha’s initial claim holding the driver of the goods train responsible for the mishap.

The CRS, however, noted that besides the Kanchanjunga Express and the goods train, five other trains entered the affected section until the accident happened that day. “In spite of issuing the same authority, different speed pattern was followed by loco pilots,” the CRS report said. It pointed out that only the Kanchanjunga Express followed the norm of moving at a maximum speed of 15 kmph and stopping for one minute at each defective signal.

“This shows that action to be taken when T/A 912 is issued to them (loco pilots) is not clear. Some of the loco pilots have followed the 15 kmph rule while most of the loco pilots did not follow it.