Defect caused derailment 8212; Report

NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 22: A rail fracture may not have caused the goods train to derail and collide with the Howrah-Amritsar Mail on Decembe...

NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 22: A rail fracture may not have caused the goods train to derail and collide with the Howrah-Amritsar Mail on December 2 at Fatehgarh Sahib in Punjab as is generally believed. The preliminary inquiry report of the Commissioner Railway Safety CRS G.P.Garg has hinted at a 8220;defective coupling8221; being the reason why 50 people were killed on December 2.

In making this observation, Garg has relied on a report sent by the Research, Design and Standards Organisation RDSO instead of reaching the conclusion himself. He will submit his final findings and also fix the blame in his final report to be submitted in two months.

As of now he has written to General Manager, Northern Railway, asking him to check the couplings of that particular batch and withdraw the wagons where they have been used. He has also asked General Manager S.P.Mehta to verify the details about the couplings 8212; the manufacturer, date of supply and where all they have been used. 8220;It is better to withdraw them before they cause more accidents,8221; sources said. A coupling is used to join two wagons.

The RDSO report has clearly stated that it was breaking of the coupling which caused the derailment. Serious defects, 8220;impinging on safety8221;, were found in the couplings said the RDSO, a body of experts doing research for the Railways. Samples of the mangled rail and couplings had been sent to the RDSO for testing.

8220;The strength of the couplings was found to be far below the laid down specifications,8221; sources said. The RDSO, in fact, added that it did not seem likely that the derailment had been caused by faulty rails. The CRS has included in his report this finding of the RDSO too.

Initially, it was suspected that a rail fracture had caused the goods train to derail. A part of the track was completely mangled and it was extremely difficult to establish if it had broken due to the impact of the collision or had caused it.

The CRS, preferring to play it safe, has neither fixed blame on any department 8212; civil engineering maintains the tracks and mechanical is responsible for the wagons 8212; nor exonerated anyone in his report. Sources in the CRS office said the RDSO8217;s reports had to be analysed and investigations carried out.

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However, the CRS has categorically stated that the collision could have been averted if the driver or guard of the derailed goods train had switched on the flasher lights. There was a time gap of five minutes between the derailment and the collision. Even if some time is discounted for their reacting to the sudden derailment, they still had three-and-a-half to four minutes to do the needful, the CRS has observed.

There was also a provision for communication between the guard and the driver of the goods train. Sources said apparently the two kept talking to each other and did not think of switching on the flasher lights which could have been seen by the driver of the Howrah-Amritsar Mail at a distance of more than a kilometre.