Editor's Pick: Odisha train tragedy | Railway Board alleges ‘signalling interference’

The Railway Board has identified “signalling interference” as the main cause of the multi-train collision in Odisha on Friday that killed 275 people and left more than a thousand injured. The Board has also recommended a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the collision, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. The possibility of sabotage has not been ruled out, the Board added. The accident occurred on Friday night when Coromandel Express, travelling on the main line heading south, crashed into a freight train parked on a loop line at the Bahanaga Bazar station. The Yashwantpur-Howrah express, on the main line travelling north, then collided with some of the Coromandel Express’s derailed coaches. Speaking to the press on Sunday at the crash site in Odisha’s Balasore district, Mr. Vaishnaw said that a problem in electronic interlocking — which is the operational signalling system for the track stretch in question — has been identified as the main cause of collision. He also added that the people responsible for the error have been identified. According to Railway Board’s Principal Executive Director of signalling Sandeep Mathur, the electronic interlocking signal system works on two information points – a signal to pass is given based on which direction the track is set, and whether the track is free of obstruction. The Railways have not clarified whether the Coromandel Express first derailed on the main line and then hit the freight train, or if it wrongly moved to the loop line — tracks constructed in station areas to accommodate more trains and ease operations — due to “signalling interference” and then hit the freight train and derailed. “As far as the digital record of what happened on that night, the signals sent out were all okay and as expected, but clearly the accident happened and now it has to be determined where the failure took place,” Railway Board member Jaya Verma Sinha said. The locomotive pilot of Coromandel Express, who is now in critical condition in a hospital, said that he had received the green signal for the main line and the train went ahead at top speed. It would have been “virtually impossible” for him to spot any obstruction on the tracks at night, another senior official said. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor’s Pick and more. Click here. The Hindu’s Editorials Creeping change: On the High Court ruling in the Gyanvapi Mosque case A vote for change: On the result of the Thai parliamentary election The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz In which country the upcoming World Test Championship final is held? England New Zealand Australia South Africa To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 05 June 2023 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( Odisha train tragedy: Railway Board alleges ‘signalling interference’, seeks CBI probe The Railway Board has identified [“signalling interference”]( as the main cause of the multi-train collision in Odisha on Friday that killed 275 people and left more than a thousand injured. The Board has also recommended a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the collision, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. The possibility of sabotage has not been ruled out, the Board added. The accident occurred on Friday night when Coromandel Express, travelling on the main line heading south, crashed into a freight train parked on a loop line at the Bahanaga Bazar station. The Yashwantpur-Howrah express, on the main line travelling north, then collided with some of the Coromandel Express’s derailed coaches. Speaking to the press on Sunday at the crash site in Odisha’s Balasore district, Mr. Vaishnaw said that a problem in electronic interlocking — which is the operational signalling system for the track stretch in question — has been identified as the main cause of collision. He also added that the people responsible for the error have been identified. According to Railway Board’s Principal Executive Director of signalling Sandeep Mathur, the electronic interlocking signal system works on two information points – a signal to pass is given based on which direction the track is set, and whether the track is free of obstruction. The Railways have not clarified whether the Coromandel Express first derailed on the main line and then hit the freight train, or if it wrongly moved to the loop line — tracks constructed in station areas to accommodate more trains and ease operations — due to “signalling interference” and then hit the freight train and derailed. “As far as the digital record of what happened on that night, the signals sent out were all okay and as expected, but clearly the accident happened and now it has to be determined where the failure took place,” Railway Board member Jaya Verma Sinha said. The locomotive pilot of Coromandel Express, who is now in critical condition in a hospital, said that he had received the green signal for the main line and the train went ahead at top speed. It would have been “virtually impossible” for him to spot any obstruction on the tracks at night, another senior official said. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? 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