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Rabat – The investigation report by the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) has concluded that the initial collision that caused last month’s crash at the Bahanga Bazar station in Odisha, India was due to modifications that had been made to the signalling circuit in order to address frequent issues at a nearby rail-road barrier, Reuters reported today.
The local railway staff did not possess a standard circuit diagram, which led to a faulty connection in the signalling system when they attempted to disable the boom-barrier circuit for repairs, added the Reuters report.
As a result, the malfunctioning system directed the passenger train onto the path of the freight train.
The crash, which occurred on June 2, resulted in the death of 288 individuals and left over 1,000 injured. The incident took place when a passenger train collided with a stationary freight train, causing it to derail and collide with another passenger train travelling in the opposite direction.
Previous reports had highlighted the focus of investigators on the repair work conducted on the rail-road barrier and its potential link to a manual bypass of the signalling system.
Meanwhile, the CRS probe report identified multiple lapses within the signal and telecom department, stating that standard operating procedures were not followed during the repair work.
Indian Railways, the fourth largest train network globally and a state monopoly overseen by the Railway Board reporting to the Railways Ministry, is currently undergoing a $30 billion transformation, which includes the introduction of new trains and modernization of stations.
Driven by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to enhance infrastructure and connectivity, this initiative has raised concerns regarding the prioritisation of safety in light of this crash.
