WR panel suggests changes in local train headlights

Probe finds safety jackets not reflecting light from train's headlight caused the January 22 incident at Vasai station. Recommendations for technical changes made.

Slug: Probe into January 22 incident

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Nearly a month after three employees from the Western Railway’s (WR) signalling department were run over by a local train at Vasai station, a five-member committee has found, during a simulation trial, the probability of their safety jackets not reflecting the light from the train’s headlight.

The five junior administrative grade officers, who were tasked by the WR with probing the January 22 incident, have recommended technical changes to control headlights and record the act of motormen sounding the horn in their internal report.

The report, submitted on Monday, has placed the primary responsibility on an “unfortunate mix” of multiple factors such as nighttime and trains running on both sides of the tracks, which caused confusion for the trio that led to the accident.

“There were trains in the down (towards Virar) direction for which the up local (slow line) had dimmed the headlight (of the train) which also caused poor visibility and probably non-reflection on the safety jackets,” the report said.

Owing to this possibility, the committee has suggested the need to “incorporate a suitable mechanism to record front view from motorman’s cab, event logging of horn operations and controlling of brightness of headlights of trains”.

A few motormen, who HT spoke to, said usually during night, when there is a train coming from the opposite side, they dim the headlight so that the motormen maneuvering the train coming from the other direction are not blinded by the light.

On the night of the accident, according to the statement of motorman Rajaram Meena mentioned in the report, the train was moving at a speed of 87 kmph as per the speedometer logs. According to data logs, the train covered 457 metres even after applying emergency brakes, following which it went from 87 kmph to zero.

The nine-point recommendation made by the committee includes the need to provide very high frequency radio sets for the staff to communicate. The simulation trial also found that the audibility of human voice while alerting someone was below average when the trains were passing.

However, a member of Western Railway Mazdoor Sangh said, “There used to be such walkie talkie and radio in the past. But due to issues of maintenance they were withdrawn.”

The committee has also addressed the issue of vacancies, one of the demands made by railway employees’ unions and highlighted by HT previously. “Lookout persons should be compulsory nominated during staff movement for failures/maintenance. If there is a staff shortage then those persons should be hired,” the report said.

The unions had claimed that there were around 35%-40% vacant posts in the signalling department.

The report has also highlighted the need for secured pathways alongside the tracks and refuge spots at vulnerable locations.

Three employees, Vasu Mitra, Somnath Lambture and Sachin Wankhede, were attending to the failure of points 103 and 104 at Vasai railway station on January 22 when the incident occurred.