A senior official stated that the Guwahati-Delhi section, where a goods train collided with the Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express on Monday, did not have the Railways’ “Kavach,” or anti-train collision mechanism, in place.
Chairperson of the Railway Board Jaya Varma Sinha said that Kavach, an automatic anti-collision train protection system, is being planned for the route. “It is not there right now,” she said.
Pointing to a potential “human error” on the part of the goods train’s loco pilot, who died in the collision, Sinha stated that the collision near New Jalpaiguri may have occurred when the goods train ignored the signal and struck the Kanchanjungha Express, which was travelling from Agartala to Sealdah.
The Chairperson said that five people died in the tragedy. The toll, according to some local sources citing senior West Bengal Police officers, is 15.
“Five passengers have died. The loco pilot of the goods train and the guard of Kanchanjungha Express have also lost their lives. About 50 passengers have been injured and they have been admitted to the North Bengal Medical College,” Sinha said.
It was stated that the passenger coach was not severely damaged, but the guard’s coach and two parcel vans of Kanchanjungha Express were wrecked.
“The general compartment has also been impacted. Our priority was to rescue passengers. It has been completed now. Our area officer and his team reached the accident site, which is 10 km from the New Jalpaiguri station,” Sinha said.
Additionally, the chairperson reaffirmed that the Railways’ top concern is safety.
“We are doing everything to ensure that train operations remain safe,” she said.
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