Root cause of Odisha Train Accident

Root cause of Odisha Train Accident

Subject: Science and technology

Section: Msc

Context: The Railways identified the “root cause” of the accident in Odisha. Union Railway Minister has indicated that “someone” made a change “to the point machine, the configuration of the track”, resulting in the collision.

Content:

• The spot of the crash is a little before Bahanaga Bazar station in Odisha’s Balasore district, which is part of the Kharagpur railway division of the South Eastern Railway. Three trains were involved — two passenger trains going in opposite directions, and a goods train that was stationary.

How could the incident have happened?

• There is the Up Main Line (towards Chennai), the Down Main line (towards Howrah), and two loop lines on the two sides. The purpose of a loop is to park a train on the side so that the main line is left clear for a faster or more important train.
• Locomotive drivers are guided by signals, not so much by what they see on the tracks, especially in the dark.
• A multi-disciplinary joint inspection by supervisors had concluded that a green signal was given to the Coromandel (headed towards Chennai) to pass through on the designated main line, and then the signal was taken off. The train entered the loop line, and rammed into the goods train.
• It was identified that someone had changed the configuration of the signalling (point) on the track, which led to the Coromandel to enter the loop line.

Could the driver have done something to prevent the crash?

• Trains are gigantic masses of steel, hauled by enormously powerful engines. The Coromandel was going at “full speed”, which could be around 100 km/hr. At that speed, even after the application of emergency brakes, a train would not come to a halt before perhaps a couple of kilometres.

Where does the third train come into the picture?

• At the same time as the Coromandel hit the goods train, a third train, was going past on the adjacent Down main line, headed towards Howrah (in the opposite direction). Most of this train had already crossed the point of the accident, however, the last few coaches were impacted. These derailed — either because they were hit by coaches of the Coromandel that toppled onto them, or because of the shock waves that could have passed through the ground and the tracks.