A day after a passenger train collided with a stationary freight train near chennai, experts and union leaders said that according to the data-logger video, the Mysore-Darbhanga Express train was given the green signal to pass through the main line but it went on a loop line on which a freight train was already standing. train number 12578, Mysore-Darbhanga Bagmati Express, collided with a stationary freight train at Kavarapettai railway station of chennai Railway Division in tamil Nadu at around 8.30 pm on friday (October 11), injuring nine passengers. Data logger is a device placed in the station area to record the movements of trains and signal-related aspects among other things.
Data logger video went viral on social media
This data logger's 'yard-simulation' video has been circulated in the whatsapp groups of senior railway officials since saturday (October 12) morning, drawing their attention to the similarities between this accident and the Balasore train accident of june 2, 2023. When contacted, the Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Southern Railway said that he was not aware of any such video and several investigations have already been initiated regarding the collision.
Railway Board also admitted this
In a press statement issued late friday night, the Railway Board also admitted that the passenger train was given the green signal for the main line, but it got a jolt and came into the loop line, due to which it collided with the goods train. A high-level inquiry has been ordered into the incident.
Balasore train accident mistake repeated again?
The board said on saturday that the Railway Safety Commissioner will conduct a detailed investigation as he visited the accident site in the morning. At Balasore, the Howrah-bound Coromandel Express was cleared for the main line but, due to wrongly connected tracks, it went onto the loop line and collided with a stationary goods train. R. Kumaresan, president of the All india Loco Running Staff Association (AILRSA), Southern Railway, said, “Based on the information available in the public domain, this collision appears to be a near repeat of the Balasore train accident of june 2, 2023. The railways must take a serious approach to correct the anomalies in the signalling system.”