Balasore train accident: Railway Board orders double-locking arrangements for signalling assets 

Days after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the probe into the horrific Balasore train accident, the Railway Board has issued orders to ensure more safety for signalling equipment. The Railway Board ordered a double-locking arrangement for relay rooms with controlling mechanisms, relay huts housing signalling and telecommunications equipment of level-crossings, and point and track circuit signals. This is the latest in a series of directives issued since the Balasore triple train tragedy, which killed more than 280 people.  

The Odisha train tragedy killed at least 288 people and over 1,100 people were injured earlier this month after two passenger trains Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a stationary goods train collided following a derailment. 

The order says the “access to the relay room” was key to the “signalling interference” that caused the Coromandel Express to take the loop line at Balasore and crash into a stationary freight train.  

Senior officials told news agency PTI that the job is now to make all signalling equipment “tamper proof” with enough evidence to indicate some kind of tampering was done with the interlocking system. An officer said: “This double locking will ensure that no one can access these locations in isolation”.  

According to this order, level crossing gate, housing signalling and telecommunications equipment in station yard, should be treated as a relay. It further states that the key of the present single lock shall be with the station master (SM) till double-locking arrangement is in place.  

"The relevant entries regarding issue and deposit of the key should be maintained by SM in the same manner as being done for station relay room. The proforma for handing over/taking back of the key by the ASM (assistant station manager) on duty shall have a column specifying that the location for which key had been taken by maintenance staff has been properly closed and locked, by the maintenance staff who is returning the key," the order stated.  

The Railway Board order further noted it shall be brought to a stop by the first stop signal. As per officials, a preliminary probe into the accident highlighted that some work was going on near the location of the incident. A disconnection memo to close the interlocking system and start work and a reconnection memo was received by the SM, they noted.  

Officials stated the technician bypassed this because the work was still in progress. They added he allegedly rigged the location box to get “green signal” for the Coromandel Express.  

The order also laid down disconnection-reconnection protocols to be followed for signal maintenance, repairs, alteration works. The order states the reception signal or signal controlling the reception of trains into a station should not be taken off once the reconnection signal is accepted by the station manager.  

It added the departure signal or signal provided to dispatch the train from the station for run-through trains should be taken off only after the first train is on berthing position. Berthing position refers to berths being all lines up at their set stations.  
Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has sealed the Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Odisha to probe the triple train accident till the investigation is complete. The central agency sealed the station after attaining the log book, relay panel and equipment, as per a railway official.  

(With agency inputs)

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