India train disaster: What we know so far

An investigation is underway into the cause of Friday’s devastating three-passenger accident between two passenger trains and a freight train in the eastern state of Odisha.

In the early evening, a passenger train, the Coromandel Shalimar Express, traveling across the country between Shalimar in the state of West Bengal and Chennai in Tamil Nadu, hit a freight train carrying iron ore.

The passenger train derailed and hit another passenger train, the Yesvantpur-Howrah Superfast Express, which connects metro cities of Bengaluru and Kolkata.

At least 288 people have been killed and more than 1,000 injured in what is India’s deadliest train crash in decades.

What was the cause of the crash?

Railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the crash had occurred “due to a change in the electronic interlock” and that an investigation would reveal “who was responsible for that mistake”.

An electronic interlock system is designed to keep the track safe by monitoring train movements, operating signals and level crossings, establishing routes and checking that track sections are clear.

Before the introduction of an electronic system, signals were operated manually by a series of rods and levers.

When the electronic interlocking system is fully operational, a train will not be signaled unless the computers deem the route safe and clear of other traffic.

Speaking to the Indian news agency ANI, Vaishnaw said: “Let the investigation report come out. But the cause has been identified and the people responsible for it have been identified.

South Eastern Railway chief public relations officer KS Anand told Reuters news agency: “The Coromandel Express was supposed to run on the main line, but a signal was given for the loop line instead and the train rammed into a freight train. already parked there. The carriages then fell onto the rails on both sides, causing the Howrah Superfast Express to derail as well.”

Jairam Ramesh, an MP from the opposition Congress Party, attacked the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJJ) for “man-made devastation caused by utter negligence”.

Here is our detailed statement on the Odisha train tragedy. It goes far beyond the headlines and shows how rail safety and track renewal have faded into the background, while high-profile inaugurations and an obsession with speed take precedence. It raises 3 fundamental questions. pic.twitter.com/XdcJdsOIeV

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 4, 2023

He accused the BJP of criminal neglect of the “signaling system” and skipping presentations on railway safety just hours before the accident.

How big is India’s rail network?

India’s rail network is the fourth largest in the world – after the United States, Russia and China – carrying about 13 million passengers on 14,000 passenger trains every day.

Indian Railways, a state monopoly, operates the network, which consists of 64,000 km (40,000 mi) of track.

The network is also a lifeline for trade, with more than 1.5 billion tons of cargo transported annually.

The railway system was built during the British colonial rule in the 19th century. The Indian government had recently announced major upgrades, including high-speed rail, but many of the upgrades are years away.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was set to unveil a new express line between Goa and Mumbai in western India on Saturday. Instead, he visited the crash site in Odisha, where he promised that those responsible would be punished.

Took stock of the situation at the scene of the tragedy in Odisha. Words cannot express my deep sorrow. We are determined to provide all possible assistance to those affected. I praise everyone who works around the clock, on the ground and helps with relief efforts.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 3, 2023

India’s deadly railway system

Hundreds of accidents occur on Indian railways every year, most of them due to human error or outdated signaling equipment.

According to India’s National Crime Records Bureau (pdf), there were about 100,000 railway-related deaths in the country between 2017 and 2021.

In a December report, India’s Comptroller and Auditor General identified 24 factors responsible for derailments (pdf).

The report titled “Derailments in Indian Railways” which examined derailments between April 2017 and March 2021 found that inadequate track maintenance was one of the leading causes of such accidents.

In October 2018, a commuter train ripped into a crowd gathered to celebrate the Hindu festival of Dussehra in Amritsar in the northern state of Punjab, killing at least 59 people and injuring many more.

India’s deadliest rail accident was in 1981, when a train plunged off a bridge into a river in the state of Bihar, killing an estimated 800 people.