‘Loco pilot hit the emergency brakes but couldn’t stop’ — Probe report recreates moments before Kanchenjunga Express accident

The report released recently highlights how another train blocked vision of the freight train loco pilot and how he could only spot the train when they were 384 metres apart

On June 17, the freight train (DN GFCJ) crashed into Sealdah-bound Kanchenjunga Express from the rear in Darjeeling district. (File/ PTI)

The loco pilot of the freight train that was travelling at 78 kmph tried to hit the emergency brakes when it spotted the Kanchenjunga Express up ahead but could not prevent the crash — that’s what a probe report of the Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety (CCRS) said as it recreated the final moments before last month’s train accident that killed at least 10 people.

On June 17, the freight train (DN GFCJ) crashed into Sealdah-bound Kanchenjunga Express from the rear in Darjeeling district. While Anil Kumar, the loco pilot of the freight train, died on the spot, Manu Kumar, the assistant loco pilot, survived and is still recuperating at a railway hospital in Assam.

According to the report, Kumar had spotted the express train 284 metres ahead and applied the emergency brakes but by then it was too late. The trains collided at the speed of 40 kmph.

Story continues below this ad

Also read | ‘Lapses at multiple levels in managing train operations’: CCRS probe report on Kanchenjunga rail tragedy which killed 10

Failure of automatic signal, lapses at multiple levels in managing operations, and non-availability of critical safety equipment such as walkie-talkie with the loco pilot and train manager are some of the reasons cited for collision.

According to the report, the presence of another train — the 12506 Northeast Express — that affected the loco pilot’s line of vision.

“The presence of 12506 on the UP line in the same section has affected the line of sight and (the) loco pilot could only see the rear coach of DN 13174 only after passing 332 metres from signal no. AS652 and applied the emergency brake, unfortunately could not stop the collision. At the time of emergency brake application, the speed of the train was 78 kmph and roughly around 284 metres from the SLR coach. The train DN GFCJ collided with DN 13174 at a speed of 40 kmph. The time of the collision was around 08:50:18 hrs,” the report said.

Between the train’s departure from Rangapani station at 8:45 am and the accident at 8:50 am, the loco pilot put the freight train in “throttle position 10 times within a period of five minutes indicating he was alert”. But the pilot did not follow the “the maximum permissible speed of 15 kmph” mentioned in the paper slip pass issued after the automatic signal failure occurred, the report said.

Story continues below this ad

In another section on safety equipment, the report highlighted a shortage of walkie talkie sets in the Katihar division of the Northeast Frontier Railway, under which the accident occurred. According to the report, the driver and the train manager of the freight train were not given walkie-talkies — essential for communication with base stations — on the day of the crash.

Also read | For those inside the Kanchanjunga Express, a ‘shock of a lifetime’

“As per crew, lobby/NJP report, even on 17.06.24, 18 goods train crew (loco pilots and train managers) were not issued walkie talkie sets. The loco pilots and train manager of DN GFCJ were also not issued walkie talkie sets. It is also observed that from 12.6.2024 to 17.06.2024 137 numbers of goods trains were not provided with walkie talkie sets,” stated the report.

According to the report, there were only 72 walkie talkies in the Katihar division against the requirement of 260. For the New Jalpaiguri (NJP) division, the shortfall was even higher, with only 169 available against the required 377.

Ravik Bhattacharya

Ravik Bhattacharya is the Chief of Bureau of The Indian Express, Kolkata. Over 20 years of experience in the media industry and covered politics, crime, major incidents and issues, apart from investigative stories in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Andaman Nicobar islands. Ravik won the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award in 2007 for political reporting. Ravik holds a bachelor degree with English Hons from Scottish Church College under Calcutta University and a PG diploma in mass communication from Jadavpur University. Ravik started his career with The Asian Age and then moved to The Statesman, The Telegraph and Hindustan Times. ... Read More

Atri Mitra

Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal. Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram