Southern Railway initiates probe into Mysore-Darbhanga Bagmati Express derailment

Chennai, Oct 12 (IANS) The Southern Railway on Saturday began a probe after the Mysore-Darbhanga Bagmati Express on Friday evening derailed at Kavaraipettai in Chennai as it rammed into a stationary goods train following which 13 coaches came off the track, an official said.Southern Railway Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety, A.M. Choudhary, is conducting an inquiry against the railway staff, including the Loco Pilot of the Bagmati Express. At least 19 passengers were injured in the accident.

Choudhary has summoned the Loco Pilot and Assistant Loco Pilot of the Bagmati Express, the motorman of MEMU train 42425, the on-duty station masters of Kavaraipettai and Ponneri stations, the Section Controller, and Section Manager of Kavaraipettai station.

Additionally, the Traffic Inspector in-charge of Kavaraipettai station and the Senior Section Engineer in-charge of Ponneri station, who was responsible for Kavaraipettai station, have also been summoned for the inquiry.

Senior section engineers who attended to the maintenance of the Bagmati Express train, as well as traffic inspectors, chief loco inspectors, and other supervisors who recorded the joint note at the site after the accident, along with gatekeepers of level crossings between Ponneri and Kavaraipettai, and the travelling ticket examiners, were also called for the inquiry.

Besides, the staff of the AC coaches and those involved in distributing linen were also summoned for the inquiry, which is being held at the Southern Railway Zonal Headquarters in Chennai.

The Southern Railway has instructed the staff to appear before the inquiry panel members with relevant documents.

The Mysore-Darbhanga Bagmati Express (Train No. 12578) rammed into a stationary freight train on Friday night, October 11, leading to the derailment of several coaches of the express train, with the parcel van catching fire. The train operates between Darbhanga Junction in Bihar and Mysore (Mysuru) in Karnataka.

The Government Railway Police in Korukkupet have registered a case.

Police said that a possible sabotage angle is also being investigated, prompting the arrival of an NIA team.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin criticised the Central government over the train derailment incident. "The Union government should take steps to prevent train accidents. It has now become a series of recurring incidents," he said.

Southern Railway General Manager R.N. Singh said that the Mysore-Darbhanga Bagmati Express entering the loop line, despite signals being set for the main line, was "unusual".

Speaking to the media after visiting the accident site, Singh reiterated that the situation was unusual, with the train diverting to the loop line though it was supposed to stay on the main line.

A statutory inspection of the accident site has also been conducted by A.M. Choudhary, along with senior railway officials.

After the accident, the National Disaster Response Force promptly arrived at the scene following the accident and began rescue operations.

Sources within the Railways told IANS that the mishap occurred due to a signal failure. A source claimed that the Mysore-Darbhanga Express was given the green signal to pass along the main line.

However, the train travelling at the speed of 75 kmph entered the loop line and collided with the rear end of a stationary goods train.

The train had crossed Ponneri railway station before the collision and was cleared to proceed through the next station, Kavaraipettai, via the main line.

The Southern Railway in a statement said: "While entering Kavaraipettai station, the train crew experienced a heavy jerk.... instead of continuing onto the main line as signalled, the train diverted to the loop line at 75 km/h and collided with the goods train.

Railway officials confirmed that the train crew members remained unharmed while the fire that broke out in the parcel van was extinguished.

"No death has been reported so far, though there are some injuries. All injured passengers have been taken to nearby hospitals," an official said.

Meanwhile, the movement of trains on both sides of the section has been affected, and alternative arrangements are being made.The accident which happened on October 11 evening in the Southern Railway zone bears similarities to the Balasore tragedy in Odisha on June 2, 2023, which resulted in the death of over 280 passengers and injuries to more than 900 people.