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@Evening: 🤔 Did "Deliberate Interference" Cause The Balasore Train Tragedy?

Karan KambleJun 06, 2023, 08:34 PM | Updated 08:34 PM IST
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The accident site in Balasore, Odisha

Many senior railway officials, speaking to Swarajya, have said that the primary investigation has pointed fingers at human interference.

Context: Days after the train tragedy in Odisha, a strong suspicion that “deliberate interference” in the electronic interlocking system could have been the cause is gaining ground.

  • Several railway experts have said that once a train route is set and locked, it cannot be changed until the train completes its journey on said locked-in route.

  • Officials say therefore there is a high possibility of interference in the system to bypass the set procedure.

  • The devastating train accident has claimed the lives of 275 passengers and left over 900 injured.

  • A "deliberate" act? Unless there was “deliberate interference” in the electronic interlocking system, the crash could not have happened, officials maintain.

    • During the investigation, they say they came across information that requires "professionals" to probe and establish the cause of the accident.

  • Though the Railway Minister said electronic interlocking is a very safe way of interlocking, it can only come in as a fail-safe.

  • Unless there is deliberate interference in the system, it’s not possible that a route set for the main line for a train is switched to the loop line.

  • This particular angle, along with others, needs to be investigated.


    • They say a CBI probe is needed to establish the purpose of such manual tinkering with the basic concept of this "foolproof system."

  • Per the officials, the electronic interlocking used by Indian Railways has received the Seal 4 certification, which is considered the best and issued for 100 per cent safety.

  • Necessity of a CBI probe. A question was posed on the need for Railway Board to recommend CBI looking into the matter, to which a senior railway official responded:

    🗣️ "At this stage, because it is a very important investigation being carried out, I will only say that."

    • The Railways maintains that a lot of information has emerged during the course of initial investigation.

  • The various kinds of information available require professional investigation.

  • As a result, a CBI investigation is recommended.

  • Secure the sheds. The Railways did not respond to a question about whether the relay room housing the signalling system was left open.

    • However, in a circular issued on Monday, the Railway Board instructed all the railway zones to “secure the goomties (temporary shed) housing signalling equipment on railway station premises with a ‘double-lock’ arrangement."

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