Editor's Pick: After Odisha tragedy, Railways to secure signalling equipment with double locks

The Indian Railways has decided to secure the goomties that house the signalling equipment on railway station premises with a double lock arrangement. The development comes days after the devastating three-way train accident in Odisha which claimed the lives of 275 passengers and left more than 900 injured. A goomty is a small cabin at the level crossings or near stations where railway equipment is kept. The double-lock access control ensures that standard safety guidelines are followed while accessing signalling equipment. Officials were also asked to check whether the norms and guidelines in the process of disconnection and reconnection of signal and telecommunication equipment were being scrupulously followed by the station staff. The chain of developments also assumed significance because signalling failure is suspected to be the reason why the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express managed to enter the loop line while it was signalled for passage on the main line at the Bahanaga Bazaar station in Balasore district of Odisha. The superfast express thus collided with a stationary goods train on the loop line with coaches spiralling apart to the nearby track which derailed the Yeshwantpur-Howrah Express plying adjacent to it at the same time. Officials were asked to inspect and ensure the double-locking arrangement for relay rooms, which serve as sensitive installations that control the signals, points and the interlocking system at railway stations. One of the keys must be with the stationmaster and the other with the signal maintainer. An SMS alert must be generated on opening or closing of relay rooms. According to Shailendra Kumar Goel, former Director-General, Indian Railways Institute of Signal Engineering and Telecommunications, the accident took place on one of the busiest routes of the Indian Railways where capacity utilisation was in excess of 100%. It provided hardly any time for the staff to carry out any maintenance or repairs for the reduced scope for a block or disconnection (temporary suspension of the signalling system at the station). However, he maintained an in-depth investigation by an expert investigating agency was needed to ascertain the real cause of the accident. 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 Tragic track: on the Balasore train accident and corrective measures by the Indian Railways Eye on oil: on oil prices and India The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Environmental activist and former Indian Forest Service officer Manoj Misra breathed his last at 12.40 p.m. on Sunday. He was known for his protests against pollution in which Indian river? 1. Yamuna 2. Ganga 3. Brahmaputra 4. Cauvery To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 06 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]( Balasore train derailment | Railways will secure signalling equipment with double locks The Indian Railways has decided to [secure the goomties that house the signalling equipment]( on railway station premises with a double lock arrangement. The development comes days after the devastating [three-way train accident in Odisha]( claimed the lives of 275 passengers and left more than 900 injured. A goomty is a small cabin at the level crossings or near stations where railway equipment is kept. The double-lock access control ensures that standard safety guidelines are followed while accessing signalling equipment. Officials were also asked to check whether the norms and guidelines in the process of disconnection and reconnection of signal and telecommunication equipment were being scrupulously followed by the station staff. The chain of developments also assumed significance because signalling failure is suspected to be the reason why the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express managed to enter the loop line while it was signalled for passage on the main line at the Bahanaga Bazaar station in Balasore district of Odisha. The superfast express thus collided with a stationary goods train on the loop line with coaches spiralling apart to the nearby track which derailed the Yeshwantpur-Howrah Express plying adjacent to it at the same time. Officials were asked to inspect and ensure the double-locking arrangement for relay rooms, which serve as sensitive installations that control the signals, points and the interlocking system at railway stations. One of the keys must be with the stationmaster and the other with the signal maintainer. An SMS alert must be generated on opening or closing of relay rooms. According to Shailendra Kumar Goel, former Director-General, Indian Railways Institute of Signal Engineering and Telecommunications, the accident took place on one of the busiest routes of the Indian Railways where capacity utilisation was in excess of 100%. It provided hardly any time for the staff to carry out any maintenance or repairs for the reduced scope for a block or disconnection (temporary suspension of the signalling system at the station). However, he maintained an in-depth investigation by an expert investigating agency was needed to ascertain the real cause of the accident. 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 [Arrow][Tragic track: on the Balasore train accident and corrective measures by the Indian Railways]( [Arrow][Eye on oil: on oil prices and India]( The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Environmental activist and former Indian Forest Service officer Manoj Misra breathed his last at 12.40 p.m. on Sunday. He was known for his protests against pollution in which Indian river? 1. Yamuna 2. Ganga 3. Brahmaputra 4. 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