NEW DELHI, June 20: The initial investigation into the June 17 Kanchanjunga Express accident suggested that there were lapses on the part of the operations department of the New Jalpaiguri Railway Division and the crew of the goods train that collided with the freight train. passengers.
At least 10 people were killed, including the guard of the passenger train and the pilot of the goods train, after it crashed into the Kanchanjunga Express, which was stopped heading towards Sealdah in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district. , on Monday.
The collision occurred near Rangapani station, 30 kilometers from New Jalpaiguri station, causing four rear compartments of the Kanchanjunga Express to derail due to the impact of the goods train locomotive at 8:55 am, the official said.
Soon after the accident, Railway Board Chairman Jaya Varma Sinha said the collision occurred because the goods train ignored the signal. The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) has launched an investigation into the cause of the accident.
The railways also set up a probe team comprising six senior officials who submitted their preliminary report, which was seen by PTI.
While five officials blamed the driver of the goods train for violating signals and speed restriction, one gave a dissenting note suggesting that the operations department of the New Jalpaiguri railway division did not take adequate measures to safeguard the route between Ranipatra (RNI) and Chattar Hat Junction (CAT).
The majority opinion is that the rear-end collision of the Kanchanjunga Express by the goods train may have occurred due to the failure of the crew of the goods train (conductor, assistant conductor and guard) to comply with the rule of “passing the automatic signal at case of danger”. position” and also “maintain the excessive speed of the train.”
In his dissenting note, an official, Chief Locomotive Inspector (CLI) of NJP division, said that the automatic and semi-automatic signals had not been functioning since 5:50 am on June 17, 2024.
In such a situation, the entire stretch (the route between RNI and CAT) should have been converted into an Absolute Block System (a system that allows only one train at a time between RNI and CAT), the official further said referring to railway rules. . .
Giving details about what happened before the accident, the investigation report said that the Kanchanjunga Express left Ranipatra station at 8:27 am on June 17 with two authority letters ‘T/A 912 and T369 ( 3B).
“T/A 912 allowed the driver to cross all red signs and did not mention any speed. On the other hand, T369 (3B) mentioned that the driver would cross the two signals immediately after leaving the RNI station at a speed of 15 kmph,” a New Jalpaiguri railway source told PTI.
According to the investigation report, the same two letters of authority were also issued to the goods train that left Ranipatra station at 8:42 am.
The report also suggests that the Kanchanjunga Express was waiting at one of the faulty signals when the goods train hit it from behind.
Those responsible for the investigation said that five cars of the passenger train and eleven cars of the goods train were affected in the accident. They said they found two bodies trapped in the general carriage of the passenger train and they were taken out after cutting off the part of the carriage.
The investigation report does not mention the speed at which the freight train was traveling at the time of the accident. A detailed investigation is now being carried out by the Railway Safety Commissioner.
