Kanchanjungha Express accident sparks concerns about passenger safety
Even Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee raised questions on passenger amenities and safety features. With the accident, voices were raised in North Bengal in demand of a dedicated freight corridor and replacing Integral Coach Factory (ICF) rakes with the more advanced and safe Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) rakes.
The accident occurred at around 8:55 am on Monday when a goods train rammed into the Kanchanjungha Express near Rangapani Station leaving at least nine dead and more than 40 injured.
“There is no passenger safety in Railways these days. I, as the Railway minister, had introduced the anti-collision device. I had taken the expertise from the Konkan Railway. If two trains come near each other, they will automatically stop. Why has it not been implemented?” stated Mamata Banerjee.
Questions have been raised as to why the LHB coaches have not replaced the ICF rakes (coaches) in such important trains along with the implementation of ‘Kavach’ — the anti-collision device of the Indian Railways in this region.
Railway officials claim that prima facie the loco-engine drivers of the goods train had overshot the signal thereby entering the same track as the Kanchenjunga Express. Though an inquiry has been ordered, not much is expected to emerge with both the loco-pilots of the goods train dead.
Railway officials claim that prima facie the loco-engine drivers of the goods train had overshot the signal thereby entering the same track as the Kanchenjunga Express. Though an inquiry has been ordered, not much is expected to emerge with both the loco-pilots of the goods train dead.
“Our demand is a dedicated freight corridor in the north east frontier zone. Goods train, passenger trains all run on the same tracks. This results in heavy pressure on the tracks as well as on manpower. Vulnerability also increases. This route is very important, connecting the North East to the Indian mainland.
Not only Indians but foreigners, mainly tourists also frequent this region. Why haven’t the rakes of such an important train been changed to LHB and the Kavach implemented yet. Where are the safety measures for the passengers?” questioned Sabyasachi Roy of the Jalpaiguri Nagarik Mancha (citizens forum).
The LHB coaches manufactured with German technology were first introduced in the Indian Railways in 2000. They were first pressed into service in the year 2003. Jaya Varma Sinha, CEO, Rai Board stated that “Kavach” has not been introduced in the Guwahati route or this region.
“This year, 3000 route km will come under Kavach and this will include the Delhi-Howrah section,” stated the CEO. Kavach is a cab-signaling train control system with anti-collision features developed by Research Design and Standards Organisations in association with 3 Indian vendors.
It is designed to prevent accidents caused by Signal Passed at Danger (SPAD), the main cause of train collisions. Kavach functions include alerting the pilot, taking control of brakes and automatically halting the train when it detects another train on the same track within a specified distance.
It is already deployed on 1465 route km. In the next phase, contracts have been awarded for around 3000 route km that covers Eastern Railways, ECR, NCR, NR, WCR and WR. However, Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR) does not feature in the list.
https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/kanchanjungha-express-accident-sparks-concerns-about-passenger-safety-568328
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