An investigation report into the June 17, 2024, Kanchanjunga Express and a goods train collision in the Darjeeling district that led to 10 people dead and 43 injured has been released by the Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety (CCRS).
The report identified numerous shortcomings in the management of train operations, which resulted in a rear-end collision near Rangapani and Chattar Hat stations of the Katihar Division of the Northeast Frontier Railway.
The accident above was reported under the classification of the CCRS as an ‘’error in train working’’ and stemmed from ‘’failures at various organizational levels in managing the train operations under automatic signal failures. ’’
The key issues identified in the report include: The key issues identified in the report include:
Inadequate Preparedness: The study established that loco pilots and station masters are prone to poor counseling on train operation in automatic signaling territory; hence, they are bound to misinterpret some rules.
Communication Breakdown: The lack of a walkie-talkie set for loco pilots and train managers left them with only mobile phones as their means of communication.
Procedural Lapses: Usually, the T/A 912 issued to the loco pilot should contain the signature of the train manager; however, this document failed to display this provision, which left many officials in a fix.
Signaling Woes: The report referred to numerous signal failures, especially in the automatic signaling territory, as a major problem.
Lacklustre Response: When signals failed on the night of the accident, the reaction from the officials in the higher signaling department at the division level was negative.
The CCRS has proposed several measures as follows to correct these misdeeds- To issue joint procedural order for signal failure management, to ensure provision of walkie-talkie sets, to overhaul General Rules, and to implement measure involving AI and GPS to avoid collision.
The report stressed the need for formulating appropriate safety measures to prevent such disasters from occurring in the future.
