New Delhi: Lapses while carrying out “signalling-circuit alteration”, which was done during repair works close to Odisha’s Balasore station in the past, led to the train tragedy that killed 295 people last month, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Friday.
The minister also said that seven railway officials were suspended and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is conducting an inquiry as per provisions of the law.
The crash at Bahanaga Bazar station on June 2 left nearly 1,100 injured in what was the worst accident to hit the public transporter since 1995. The incident took place when Chennai-bound Coromandel Express rammed into a parked freight train -- the impact of the collision flung several compartments onto an adjacent track, where another passenger train, the Howrah-bound Yesvantpur Express was passing. This led to two coaches of the second train to derail as well.
Preliminary investigation by railways indicated an attempt of “deliberate interference” with the electronic interlocking system, because of which the case was handed over to CBI.
In the Rajya Sabha, Vaishnaw said the collision between Coromandel and the goods train was “due to the lapses in the signalling- circuit-alteration carried out at the North Signal Goomty 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”.
{{/usCountry}}In the Rajya Sabha, Vaishnaw said the collision between Coromandel and the goods train was “due to the lapses in the signalling- circuit-alteration carried out at the North Signal Goomty 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”.
{{/usCountry}}These lapses resulted in the Coromandel Express, which was meant to take the main track, being wrongly re-routed to the siding where the goods train was parked.
The minister was responding to a series of queries by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader M Shanmugam and Congress’s Mukul Wasnik seeking details of the investigation into the train accident.
Meanwhile, the government said in the Balasore incident, of the 254 deceased, 41 are yet to be identified.