Odisha Train Accident: 'Human error or signal failure' Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw Reveals Root Cause: Check Here

• Image Credit: Prag news

• Jun 4, 2023 | Poonam Nath

Investigators have launched an inquiry into the possible causes of a train disaster in Odisha's Balasore...

Digital Desk:  On Sunday, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the main cause of the three-train accident in Balasore, Odisha, has been established. The minister, who was present at the disaster site to watch the restoration work, told ANI that the investigation into the horrible train accident is complete and that the commissioner of railway safety will soon submit the report.

"The railway safety commissioner has investigated the problem and has released the inquiry report, but we have determined the cause of the incident and the people responsible... "It happened due to a change in electronic interlocking," Vaishnaw explained. "Right now, our primary focus is restoration," he said.

On Friday night, the Chennai-bound Coromandel Express, carrying approximately 1500 passengers, collided with a halted goods train at Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Odisha Balasore, killing at least 294 people and wounding hundreds more. Another express train passing through the area, going north from Bengaluru to Kolkata, was derailed by the wreckage.

To talk further regarding the accident, you should know about Electronic interlocking, it is a component of railway signalling that ensures the train's safe passage through the regulated area. Railway signalling has progressed from an uninterlocked signals system to current electronic signalling. 

According to the Indian Railways' Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO), the interlocking logic in the EI System is based on software, which allows for a quick adjustment without the need for wiring alterations.

So far, preliminary results indicate that a "mistaken" signal likely caused the Coromandel Express to enter a side track known as the loop line, on which a goods train was parked a few yards ahead. According to a preliminary investigation conducted by top railway officials, the line where the two trains collided was "partially corroded."

The Coromandel Express entered the loop line at the Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Balasore around 7 p.m. on Friday due to a "mistaken" signal, which was promptly withdrawn, according to the report.

"After careful observation, (we) came to the conclusion that the signal was given and taken off for the main line for 12841 (Coromandel Express), but this train entered the loop line and dashed with the goods train which was on the loop line and derailed," according to a report signed by four senior railway officials who inspected the accident site on Friday night.

The actual reason of the accident will be determined only after a thorough technical investigation by the commissioner of railway safety. The Union Railway Ministry has already requested a high-level investigation into the catastrophe.

Vaishnaw stated that repair work is in full flow, with the goal of completing it by Wednesday morning.