The CBI will look into the Odisha railway tragedy using three different theories: carelessness, a conspiracy, or a technical issue
The CBI will look into the Odisha railway tragedy using three different theories: carelessness, a conspiracy, or a technical issue
The CBI has begun an inquiry into the triple train disaster in Odisha. A team of six persons visited Bahanaga Bazar train station and the accident site on Tuesday. The signalling room, the record room, and the staff members inside were questioned.
Three theories regarding the cause of this tragedy are emerging, according to top railway officials and the evidence that is now available. CBI will come to a conclusion by untangling these three tangles. Bhaskar will be aware of these three theories after reading the explainer.
First, a brief reminder of the accident that occurred on June 2 will help all three explanations make sense.
At Balasore's Bahanaga Bazar station, it has four lines. Two direct main lines are present. On this line, the train does not stop. Loop lines make up the final two lines. A train is halted on the loop line if it needs to be stopped at a station.
2 June, 6:55 p.m. Two goods trains were parked on Bahanaga's loop lines. was travelling from Howrah to Chennai on the Coromandel Main Line. The indication was green. 128 km/h speed.
Originally intended to travel on the main line, the Coromandel Express was abruptly switched to the loop line due to a setting change in the point machine. The carriages were dispersed as it ran into a nearby cargo train. The Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast, on the other hand, was also travelling along the other main line. Two of his coaches also took damage.
Theory 1: Rail personnel's irresponsibility caused damage to the signal location box
The boom barrier of a railway crossing close to the disaster site was destroyed on June 2, 2023, the day the triple train tragedy near Bahanga Bazar station in Odisha, and repairs were being made at the time. This line was about to be used by the Coromandel Express.
The location box that is connected to the signalling may have been harmed as a result of the job being finished quickly. It's possible that this led to an electrical interlocking system malfunction.
This indicates that the Coromandel Express was misled by the electronic interlocking system. As a result, the Coromandel Express, which was initially intended to travel on the main line but was switched to the loop route at the last minute, collided with the goods train in the loop line.
This theory makes the incompetence of the railway workers quite obvious. Additionally, the initial inquiry has identified people in charge of the modification to the electronic interlocking, according to a statement from the railway minister, Ashwini Vaishnav. The CBI will look into it.
According to a report in the Indian Express, there may have been a malfunctioning level-crossing gate. who turned off the main line's green signal. The 'location box' that had been set up on the side of the tracks was modified by the railway workers as a temporary fix. The trains use it as a guide to travel along the authorised track.
Because of this, on June 2, a manual adjustment to the locating box gave the Coromandel Express a green signal, but instructed it to travel towards the loop line rather than the main line. When the Coromandel Express struck the loop line where a freight train was already stopped, a major accident occurred.
Theory 2: A purposeful conspiracy altered the interlocking system.
Dinesh Trivedi, a former minister of the railways, mentioned it in an interview. According to the information and knowledge I have about the interlocking system, I believe there was severe tampering that led the Coromandel Express to switch from the main track to the loop line.
The signal was green, and Dinesh Trivedi asserted that it was impossible for the interlocking system to fail in this way. In a system, coincidences are not frequent. One interlocking system is replaced by another if it malfunctions or fails at any moment. This system is "fail-safe" because of this.
All of the signals on that track would turn red if the fail-safe system were to go off, and the train would come to a stop. He claimed that it appears to be a carefully planned conspiracy.
We should be aware, according to Dinesh Trivedi, that a driver can only slow down or speed up a train in response to a signal. Neither the track nor the trains' route can be altered by the driver. The train so changed tracks and automatically transitioned from the main line to the loop line once the system had been tampered with.
Additionally, according to railroad officials, the system features a fail-safe provision that causes all signals to turn red in the event of a malfunction. However, it appears like a knowledgeable specialist purposefully messed with the system. The CBI will look into this disaster from a conspiratorial perspective as well.
The Railways issued a nationwide alert on Monday regarding the security of the relay rooms following this accident. Also requested: double-lock the rooms housing the relays and signalling equipment.
Theory 3: An electrical interlocking system malfunction
at February of this year, a similar accident was stopped at the South Western Railway's Mysuru division. During this time, the Sampark Kranti Express began travelling to the loop line, where the goods train was already waiting, rather than the main line. Although the loco pilot, or driver, was attentive, the collision was quickly avoided.
Following the accident, the Principal Chief Operation Manager was requested in a letter to address severe deficiencies in the system.
The opposition parties' letter, which was made public, demonstrates how the dispatch modifies its course after the train has already run on the signal. The train seems to be travelling correctly, even though its route has been altered, on the station master's display screen at the same moment.
It sent a warning that the safety of the electronic interlocking was in danger because the electronic signal maintenance might be gaining access to the interlocking equipment without unlocking the relay room.
Only the CBI will now be able to determine which theory—negligence, collusion, or technical error—was to blame for the Coromandel Express catastrophe.
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