'Wrong signalling' caused train accident in Odisha's Balasore: Probe report

Bhubaneswar: An inquiry conducted at a high level has determined that the primary cause of the Balasore train accident was "wrong signalling." The inquiry has highlighted "lapses at multiple levels" within the signalling and telecommunication (S&T) department and acknowledged that if previous warnings had been reported, the tragedy could have been prevented.

The Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) submitted an independent report to the Railway Board, which stated that despite the shortcomings in the signalling work, the S&T staff could have taken corrective measures if they had been informed about the "repeated unusual behavior" of switches connecting two parallel tracks by the station manager of Bahanaga Bazar, where the accident occurred.

Additionally, the report indicated that the absence of an approved circuit diagram specific to the station had resulted in an incorrect approach to the replacement of the electric lifting barrier at level crossing gate 94 in Bahanaga Bazar. This erroneous step led to incorrect wiring. The report mentioned that a team of field supervisors attempted to modify the wiring diagram but failed to replicate it accurately.

Furthermore, the report highlighted a similar incident on May 16, 2022, at Bankranayabaz station in the Kharagpur Division of South Eastern Railway, which also occurred due to faulty wiring and cable issues. The report stated that if corrective measures had been taken after this incident to address the problem of incorrect wiring, the accident at BNBR would have been avoided.

Conclusively, the report attributed the rear-collision accident to "lapses in the signalling-circuit-alteration" that occurred in the past at the north signal 'goomty,' as well as during the execution of the signalling work related to the replacement of the electric lifting barrier at station level crossing gate 94. These lapses resulted in incorrect signalling to train no. 12841, leading it to traverse on the UP loop line and ultimately collide with the goods trains present there.

The CRS has provided recommendations based on the findings. It suggests launching a campaign to update completion signalling wiring diagrams, as well as other relevant documents and lettering of signaling circuits at the site. Standard practices should be strictly followed when conducting signalling modification work. Any alterations to signalling circuits should only be performed with an approved circuit diagram and under the supervision of an officer. Additionally, the report proposes deploying a separate team to inspect and test modified signalling circuits and functions before restoring and reconnecting the work.