No Failure Incident Due To Defects In Interlocking Signal System In Last Five Years, Says Vaishnaw

There have been 13 instances of signalling failure in the Railways in the past five years but no incident due to defects in the interlocking signal system, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told Rajya Sabha on Friday (21 July).

He said there was no loss of life in any of these instances.

Answering over two dozen questions in the wake of the Balasore train tragedy, the Railway Minister, quoting the probe by Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), said lapses in the ‘signalling-circuit-alteration’ resulting in wrong signal caused the triple train crash last month.

The Minister also said there has been “no incident due to defects in the interlocking signal system” in the past five years.

In a written reply, Vaishnaw said, “No expert has pointed out any loopholes or deficiencies in the (interlocking signal) system.”

Railway ministry officials have claimed that human interference in the system caused the accident, which claimed 295 lives and left 176 grievously injured. While CRS has investigated the technical side of the accident and the reasons of the ghastly accident, CBI is probing criminality into the whole episode.

MPs from different parties asked over two dozen questions relating to safety issues in the Railways, including the Balasore accident, derailments, signal failure and installation of ‘Kavach’ anti-collision system in trains.

Referring to the CRS report, the Minister said, “The rear-collision was due to the lapses in the signalling- circuit-alteration carried out at the North Signal Goomty (of the Bahanaga station) in the past, and during the execution of the signalling work related to replacement of Electric Lifting Barrier for level crossing gate no 94 at the station”.

As per the report, these errors resulted in a green signal being displayed for the wrong line, leading to the ill-fated Coromandel Express colliding with a stationary goods train.

The Railways has suspended seven railway officials and has initiated disciplinary proceedings against them.

The Railway Minister said so far bodies of 254 victims have been handed over to their kin while 41 bodies are yet to be identified. The railways has paid Rs 29.5 crore as enhanced ex gratia. The ministry said till 13 July, 258 claim cases have been received in various benches of the Railway Claims Tribunal, out of which 51 claims cases have been disposed of.

He said in the past five years, there were seven consequential accidents due to signal failure, which are those involving loss of life or injury and impact train operations.

The ministry also said several measures taken have brought down the number of consequential train accidents from 473 in 2000-01 to 48 in 2022-23. Similarly, the number of derailments fell from 350 in 2000-01 to 36 during last financial year.