Odisha Train Accident Report Released For The First Time, Spells Out Lapse

A signal error led to the devastating triple train accident in Balasore, Odisha, last June, the Ministry of Railways has said, releasing the findings from the Commissioner of Railway Safety’s report for the first time, detailing the causes.

The accident, which resulted in more than 293 deaths and over 1,000 injuries, was one of the worst rail disasters in India in the past two decades.

The report, disclosed in response to questions raised by MP Dr John Brittas in the Rajya Sabha, pointed to lapses in signalling circuit alteration at North Signal Goomty station and during the execution of signalling work for the replacement of the Electric Lifting Barrier.

“The rear-collision was due to the lapses in the signalling-circuit-alteration carried out at the North Signal Goomty (of the station) in the past, and during the execution of the signalling work related to replacement of Electric Lifting Barrier for level crossing gate no. 94 at the Station,” the report said.

These errors resulted in a green signal being displayed for the wrong line, leading to a train collision with a stationary goods train, the report explained. The Minister stated that these issues demonstrate “glaring lapses and negligence” on the part of railway authorities.

Forty-one passengers from the accident have still not been identified, the government also revealed.

Despite Dr John Brittas MP’s request, the government did not provide details on similar signal failures in the past three years, only saying that there had been failures, but none that could have led to an incident as serious as the one in Balasore.

Earlier this month, the Central Bureau of Investigation arrested three Indian Railways employees, Arun Kumar Mahanta, Mohammed Amir Khan and Pappu Kumar, in relation to the accident. They were charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder and destruction of evidence.

The accused are currently in judicial custody after their Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) remand period ended on July 15. The next hearing is set for July 27.

The investigation, still ongoing, has brought to light a prior similar incident due to wrong wiring and cable fault at Bankranayabaz station in the Kharagpur Division of South Eastern Railway on May 16, 2022. The CRS report claimed corrective measures after this incident could have prevented the Balasore tragedy.

Reacting to the CRS report, Congress alleged that the Narendra Modi government has “thoroughly compromised” on basic issues of railway safety, and this “human error” exposes the failure of management and political leadership.

In a shake-up following the tragic incident, Archana Joshi, the General Manager of South Eastern Railway, was removed from her post, and Anil Kumar Mishra was appointed as her successor.

The three trains involved in the accident were the Kolkata-Chennai Coromandel Express, the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, and a goods train.