Investigation reveals reason for India’s fatal railway accident in Odisha

An official investigation has revealed that faulty connections in the automated signalling system, made during repair works on a rail-road barrier, led to India’s worst train disaster in two decades.

The tragic incident occurred on June 2 at Bahanaga Bazar station in the eastern Indian state of Odisha, where three trains collided, resulting in the death of at least 288 people and injuring over 1,000 others.

According to the probe report seen by Reuters, investigators from the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) determined that the initial collision happened due to modifications made to the signalling circuit during efforts to address frequent issues at a nearby rail-road barrier.

The local railway staff did not possess a standard circuit diagram, leading to a faulty connection in the signalling system when attempting to take the boom-barrier circuit offline for repairs. This malfunctioning system directed the passenger train onto the path of the stationary freight train.

Earlier reporting by Reuters had already highlighted investigators’ focus on the repair work conducted on the rail-road barrier and its potential connection to a manual bypass of the signalling system.

Indian Railways, the fourth largest train network globally, is a state monopoly overseen by the Railway Board, which reports to the Railways Ministry.

While the rail network undergoes a $30 billion transformation, including the introduction of new trains and modern stations as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s infrastructure and connectivity initiatives, this tragic incident has raised concerns about whether sufficient attention is being given to safety.

The CRS probe report cited lapses at various levels within the signal and telecom department, pointing out that standard operating procedures were not followed during the repair work.