Railways' Report On Odisha Train Tragedy Points To "Human Error"

A month after the Balasore triple train tragedy that led to 293 deaths, and over 1,000 injured, the Commissioner of Railways Safety (CRS) probing the accident has flagged human error of workers in signalling department as responsible for it, dismissing the likelihood of a sabotage or a technical glitch or a machine fault.

The Central Bureau of Investigation is already probing the possibility of a criminal conspiracy into the accident.

According to those in know of the matter, negligence on part of a few ground officials who did not follow adequate safety procedures of inspection, particularly after changes were made in the design due to safety concerns three years ago, has been highlighted.

Officials said the neglect of safety processes of not just those in the signalling department, but also others who did not flag the changes to the design, has been flagged, and the ministry is likely to take action against them.

"The central diagram had failed to reflect changes made to the circuit, and yearly inspections made later did not flag that too. So it was not the error of one person, but at least up to five that have come to the fore," an official said.

Three trains - Kolkata-Chennai Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and a goods train - were involved in one of the worst railway tragedies in the country in the last two decades.

While the CRS report doesn't indicate sabotage, officials said Railways will not go public with the CRS report to ensure there is no influence or interference on the CBI probe that will also problem the sabotage angle.

The findings of the CRS report and the subsequent CBI report will help Indian Railways rehaul its safety systems, officials said, adding that railways are looking at best technologies used in the steel industry, and railways safety systems used across the world.

"To prevent error by the driver who decides the speed of the train depending on the signal, we are pushing use of anti-collision devices. And for the last two years, ultrasound testing of tracks to detect micro fractures has been a top focus too. Track management is crucial in rail safety. But we are looking at the extensive use of electronic relay systems across the railway network to prevent freak accidents such as what happened in Balasore. These are the most robust, tried and tested systems for rail safety," an official said.

The official added that it could take up to three years for such a system to be in place across the country, and that the railways and centre were persistent in ensuring there was no compromise on safety.

Only a few days ago, the Railway board had initiated a double-locking arrangement for all its relay rooms with train controlling mechanisms.