Kolkata:

The Kanchanjunga Express was travelling from Agartala in Tripura to Sealdah in Kolkata when a goods train hit it from behind near Rangapani station, close to New Jalpaiguri Monday morning, resulting in the deaths of nine people and injuries to 41. Preliminary findings point to a combination of human error and signal failure as contributing factors.

The Railway Board’s initial report on Monday revealed that the goods train, operating under a defective automatic signalling system, was travelling above speed limits when it crashed into the Kanchanjunga Express. The railways have not commented on this issue.

When the automated system fails, railway protocol mandates a written authority known as TA 912. This document authorises train drivers to pass all red signals due to the signalling defect, provided they adhere to stringent safety measures. Both the Kanchanjunga Express and the goods train had been issued TA 912 (pictured below).

According to railway procedures, under TA 912, drivers must stop for one minute at each defective signal and proceed at a maximum speed of 10 kmph. Additionally, they must maintain a 150-metre gap from the preceding train to ensure adequate stopping distance if the previous train has not cleared the signal. However, in this incident, the goods train driver violated these critical conditions.

The Kanchanjunga Express had cleared nine automatic signals with TA 912 and had stopped after crossing the nine signals awaiting fresh clearance to proceed further.

Authorisation To Cross Red Signals

The Railway Board said that the driver of the goods train had been authorised to cross all red signals between Rangapani and Chattarhat railway stations due to the defective automatic signalling system. However, the train’s speed exceeded the permissible limit set for such situations. The goods train driver was given a TA 912, by the station master of Rangapani, permitting the train to pass nine red signals. This authorisation was crucial because the automatic signalling system had been malfunctioning since 5:50 am on the day of the accident.

The goods train, GFCJ, departed from Rangapani at 8:42 am and collided with the stationary Kanchanjunga Express at 8:55 am. The impact resulted in the derailment of the guard’s coach, two parcel coaches, and a general seating coach of the passenger train. The driver of the goods train, who was among the dead, was found to have not followed the mandatory speed restrictions, leading to the crash.

The driver of the Kanchanjunga Express adhered to the safety norms required during a signalling defect. He stopped at all red signals for one minute and proceeded at a speed of 10 kmph. In contrast, the goods train’s driver proceeded at higher than permissible limits and rammed the passenger train.

Automatic Signalling System Failure

The TA 912 authority letter mentioned that the automatic signalling system had failed and authorised the driver to pass all automatic signals between Rangapani and Chattarhat, regardless of whether they were red or caution signals. The Railway Board said that under normal circumstances, a train encountering a red signal should stop for one minute during the day and two minutes at night, proceeding with extreme caution at speed not exceeding 15 kmph in good visibility conditions and 10 kmph in poor visibility.

Despite these regulations, the goods train exceeded the permissible speed, leading to the catastrophic collision. The exact speed at which the goods train was travelling has not been disclosed by the Railway Board.

Rescue operations concluded by late afternoon, but efforts to clear the derailed coaches and restore rail services continued. The North Bengal Medical College and Hospital treated several injured passengers, with 41 remaining hospitalized, including nine in critical condition.

Official Response

The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) initiated a probe into the cause of the accident. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw visited the site, overseeing relief operations and announcing compensation for the victims’ families. Rs 10 lakh will be provided to the families of those who died, Rs 2.5 lakh to the grievously injured, and Rs 50,000 to those with minor injuries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences to the victims and prayed for the recovery of those who were injured. 

“The railway accident in West Bengal is saddening. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to officials and took stock of the situation. Rescue operations are underway to assist the affected. The Railways Minister Shri @AshwiniVaishnaw Ji is on the way to the site of the mishap as well,” PM Modi posted on X. 

The railway accident in West Bengal is saddening. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to officials and took stock of the situation. Rescue operations are underway to assist the affected. The Railways Minister Shri…

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 17, 2024

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticised the Railway Ministry for neglecting passenger safety and failing to implement the anti-collision system effectively. She alleged that the railways focused more on fare hikes than improving safety measures. 

“The railways have become totally parentless. Though the ministry is there, the old glory is missing. Only beautification is being done, but they do not care about passenger amenities. They are only keen on hiking fares,” she said. “You will only see them talk big. They also do not take care of the railway officers, technical, safety, and security personnel. I am with the railway employees and officers.” 

Governor CV Ananda Bose urged the prioritisation of treating the victims rather than engaging in blame games.

At least eight people died in a two-train collision near West Bengal’s iconic hill station of Darjeeling, reflecting the need for upgraded safety systems. Kanchanjunga Express, which was on its way from Assam to Kolkata, was rammed from behind by a goods train around 9 am. Three railway staff, including the goods train loco pilot, were among the victims.

Here’s the past five deadliest 5 train accidents in India:

• 2023: Nearly 300 people were killed and over 1,000 injured in the triple-train crash in Balasore, Odisha.
• 2016: The Indore-Patna Express train derailed near Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, killing at least 150 passengers.
• 2010: Jnaneswari Express crashed into a goods train in West Bengal and killed 146 people.
• 2002: Kolkata-New Delhi Rajdhani plunged into the swollen Dhabi River, killing at least 120 people.
• 1999: At least 285 people died in a collision between two trains in West Bengal.
• 1998: At least 210 people died after Sealdah Express collided with a derailed train in Punjab.
• 1995: Over 300 died after the Kalindi Express collided with the Purushottam Express in Ferozabad near Agra.

The death count in the latest train accident will be revised once confirmed.

Three railway staff members were among eight people killed when a goods train rear-ended the Silchar-Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express at 8.55 am today, railway officials have said.

The goods train, which reportedly jumped a signal, collided with the passenger train on the same track around 8.55 am. Three coaches of the express train derailed, with one of them climbing onto the locomotive of the goods rake because of the impact of the collision. 

At least five passengers and three railway staffers – the locomotive pilot and assistant locomotive pilot of the goods rake and the guard in the express train – were killed and nearly 50 others were injured. Officials said the casualties could have been much higher but for the fact that the last two coaches of the express train were the guard coach and the cargo van. 

Four coaches of the Kanchanjunga Express and the engine and five containers of the goods trains were involved in the collision, which occurred near Rangapani station, close to New Jalpaiguri. The rescue operation is now complete. 

The Kanchanjunga Express passes through the Chicken’s Neck, a narrow corridor that connects the Northeast with the rest of the country. At least 10 trains have been diverted as a result of the accident. 

Kavach Not Implemented

Speaking to NDTV, Sabyasachi De, the Chief Public Relations Officer of the Northeast Frontier Railway, said the cause of the accident is being investigated and while some trains have been diverted, movement will not be hampered because the Aluabari-Siliguri-New Jalpaiguri line is being used. 

Railway Board Chairperson Jaya Varma Sinha confirmed the deaths of the loco pilot and assistant loco pilot of the goods train and the guard of the express train. 

“The injured have been taken to the North Bengal Medical College in Siliguri. Our priority is to get them the best possible medical aid so that their lives can be saved and they can recover as fast as possible… The unaffected portion of the train is being sent to its destination for the benefit of the passengers. For the families of the victims, helpdesks and helpline numbers have been set up,” she said. 

Ms Sinha said an inquiry will be conducted and admitted that the Kavach anti-collision system has not been implemented on the route used by the train. She added, however, that it has been planned on the Delhi-Guwahati route. When implemented, this will cover at least some sections in Bengal and Assam. 

The absence of the much-vaunted indigenously developed Kavach system was also talked about after the triple train collision in Odisha’s Balasore in June last year, in which 293 people were killed and over 1,200 were injured.

How The System Works

Kavach, Hindi for armour, is an anti-collision system developed by the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) to achieve the goal of “zero accidents”. The technology is Safety Integrity Level 4 (SIL-4) certified – the highest certification level – meaning that there is a probability of just one error by Kavach in 10,000 years.

The system uses high-frequency radio communication and operates on the principle of continuous update of movement to prevent collisions. If it senses that an accident is about to happen, it automatically activates the brakes of the train on routes where the system is implemented. 

At Rs 50 lakh per km, it is also significantly lower than the cost of such technology used in other nations.

Officials said that the system has been put in place in 1,500 km of tracks so far and 3,000 km will be covered this year. The length of India’s railway network is over 1 lakh km. 

Helpline numbers released by the Railways: 033-23508794 and 033-23833326 (Sealdah) and 03612731621, 03612731622 and 03612731623 at Guwahati.

New Delhi:

Extending his condolences to the families of the people killed in this morning’s train accident in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that he has spoken to officials to take stock of the situation and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is also headed to the site. Describing the collision as saddening, the PM said he is praying for the speedy recovery of the injured. 

In a post on X, the Prime Minister wrote, “The railway accident in West Bengal is saddening. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to officials and took stock of the situation. Rescue operations are underway to assist the affected. The Railways Minister Shri @AshwiniVaishnaw Ji is on the way to the site of the mishap as well.”

The railway accident in West Bengal is saddening. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to officials and took stock of the situation. Rescue operations are underway to assist the affected. The Railways Minister Shri…

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 17, 2024

The Prime Minister’s Office has also announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the dead and Rs 50,000 to the injured. 

Eight people – including three Railway staffers – were killed and nearly 50 were injured after the Kanchanjunga Express, headed to Sealdah in Kolkata from Silchar in Assam was hit from the rear by a goods train near Rangapani station, close to New Jalpaiguri around 8.55 am. The goods train had overshot a signal. 

The New Jalpaiguri railway station is a busy one and is used by passengers from all states during their journey to Darjeeling.

Home Minister Amit Shah also condoled the deaths in the collision. 

पश्चिम बंगाल के न्यू जलपाईगुड़ी में हुआ रेल हादसा बहुत दुःखद है। इस दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण हादसे में जिन लोगों ने अपने परिजनों को खोया है, उनके प्रति संवेदनाएँ व्यक्त करता हूँ और घायलों के शीघ्र स्वस्थ होने की कामना करता हूँ।

পশ্চিমবঙ্গের নিউ জলপাইগুড়িতে ঘটা ট্রেন দুর্ঘটনাটি খুবই…

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) June 17, 2024

“The railway accident in New Jalpaiguri, West Bengal is very sad. I express my condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in this unfortunate accident and wish for the speedy recovery of the injured,” he posted in Hindi and Bengali on X.

Kolkata:

Kanchanjunga Express accident: The good train that hit a Kolkata-bound express train this morning in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district had overshot the signal, officials said. At least eight died and two dozen passengers suffered injuries after the express train traveling from Silchar, Assam to Sealdah, Kolkata was rammed by the goods train near Rangapani station, close to New Jalpaiguri. The last three coaches of the express train were derailed and many more were affected, it is learnt.

Kanchanjunga Express is frequently used by tourists to travel to the popular hill station of Darjeeling. The route crosses the narrow strip of land called Chicken’s Corridor, which links the Northeast with the rest of the country.

The route is an automatic signal section and remains extremely busy with parallel lines, which means there are higher chances of other trains being around.

Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the injured were being shifted to a hospital.

“Unfortunate accident in NFR zone. Rescue operations going on at war footing. Railways, NDRF and SDRF are working in close coordination. Injured are being shifted to the hospital. Senior officials have reached site,” he posted.

A war room has been set up in Delhi to coordinate rescue measures.

Disaster response teams and medical staff have been rushed to the site, said an online post by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

“Shocked to learn, just now, about a tragic train accident, in Phansidewa area of Darjeeling district. While details are awaited, Kanchenjunga Express has reportedly been hit by a goods train. DM, SP, doctors, ambulances and disaster teams have been rushed to the site for rescue, recovery, medical assistance. Action on war-footing initiated,” she posted on X.

The passenger train had two parcel vans and a guard coach in the rear, which is believed to have significantly reduced the impact of collision.

The Railways has been upgrading all trains with the new LHB coaches, but the Kanchanjunga Express has been running with old coaches made by Integral Coach Factory.

Helpline numbers released by the Railways: 033-23508794 and 033-23833326 (Sealdah) and 03612731621, 03612731622 and 03612731623 at Guwahati.