Reported to be one of the deadliest train accidents in the history of Indian Railways, the Balasore train tragedy shook the entire nation. The whole nation prayed for the safety of the passengers, while the people around the accident spot provided every help they could. There were many stories of how the three trains clashed or how the accident took place, but nothing could be believed. The CRS report is out now, and here are the revelations:
Balasore Train Tragedy: CRS Report
The Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) report on the Balasore train tragedy has been submitted to the Railway Board. The CRS report was much-awaited, as the accident took 290 lives and also injured over 1,000.
The CBI investigation is still ongoing, and the officials did not comment on the CRS report. But News18 has obtained some important portions of the same. The report has been made after considering the testimonies of various staff members involved, the railway site, and the railway assets.
According to the accident report, the Coromandel Express’s speedometer reading rapidly plummeted to zero during the crash. The Coromandel Express, which was involved in the incident, entered the up-loop route close to the Bahanaga Bazar train station, where a freight train was already stopped.
The last few carriages of the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express were knocked off the track by the collision that caused the derailment.
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Coromandel Entered The Loop Line Due To Human Error
According to railway sources, the Coromandel Express entered the loop line rather than the main line due to issues with the point/crossover before the signal. The CRS is said to have confirmed the same in Balasore report.
The CRS report’s conclusion explores the errors made during previous signalling circuit alterations at the station’s north signal room as well as when the Electric Lifting Barrier (ELB) for level crossing gate number 94 was replaced. This led to the train receiving the incorrect signal at some point.
It was inappropriate to modify the Electric Lifting Barrier (ELB) circuit of LC-94 at Bahanaga Bazar Railway Station using the circuit for Level Crossing (LC) 79 at Balasore Station. For the purpose of carrying out the LC-94 ELB-replacement work, there was no approved circuit diagram supplied that could have prevented this error.
These two errors caused the catastrophe. These instances had an effect on the replacement work done by the S&T team, deceiving them.
The Coromandel Express proceeded onto the loop line rather than the intended up-line because the point was set for the loop line but the signal indicated green for the up-line.
Despite the CRS report mentioning the failure to provide a circuit schematic for the ELB replacement work, the Signal and Telecommunication Department has been held accountable for the accident.
Importantly, the data logger’s notes on the same-day occurrences revealed that the point operation took longer than usual at about 4:21 pm on the same day. The shift in status was another strange incident that was probably overlooked.
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