Vile Parle derailment: Western Railway to send faulty axle to govt-approved lab for another test

PART of the coach which had derailed near Vile Parle station on September 17 has been sent to Lucknow-based Research Designs and Standard Organisation (RDSO) for tests. Now, senior officials from the Western Railway (WR) have decided to opt for a government-approved national laboratory to analyse the material composition of the axle which allegedly failed and led to the incident.

Sushil Chandra, commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), Western Circle, probing the derailment of coaches of the Virar-Churchgate fast local, had earlier said that preliminary investigations suggested that axle failure had caused the mishap. He has now added that all aspects of the case were being investigated.

“The chemical and metallurgical reports need to be anaylsed by another laboratory, which is not part of the Indian Railways,” said a senior WR official. He added, “The alloy needs to have proper percentage of chrome, iron and steel. The tests need to verify whether proper concentration of axle material was used. There needs be an impartial and neutral inquiry.”

santoshee.mishra@expressindia.com