BHUBANSWAR, India — A signal repair error led to the three-train collision that killed 288 people in June, according to a Reuters report.
The news report cites a report from investigators for the Commission of Railway Safety that says workers trying to address problems at a nearby grade crossing did not have a circuit diagram, leading to faulty wiring. That caused a malfunction in the automated signaling system that sent the Cormandel Express passenger train, traveling at 80 mph, into a stationary train of iron ore. Some cars of the Cormandel Express then hit another train, the Yesvantpur-Howrah Superfast Express, leading to fatalities on both trains [see “Signal error blamed for fatal collision in India,” Trains News Wire, June 4, 2023].
More than 1,000 people were injured in the June 2 collision. The report says there were multiple lapses in Indian Railways’ signal and telecom departments and that standard operating procedures were not followed during the repairs.
It may be NS’ incorrect wiring of a HBD contributed to East Palestine?
Ugh…here we go again…NOT TRUE.
Very sad 🙁 I hope this leads to positive change in maintenance work and the overall safety culture of the national railway.