“Electronic Interlocking change” possible cause of rail disaster

Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw promised an investigation into the causes of the catastrophe after the Odisha train accident rocked the nation and claimed at least 275 lives.

Interlocking has been “suspected” as the likely cause of the disaster, and Railways scheduled a press conference to address this.

“All the stations have 2 lines and 2 loop lines. We operate on a point that determines whether the train will go straight or on loop. Signals are interlocked in a manner that it helps in knowing whether the line is occupied. Signal is green when the point is not occupied. The interlocking is done in a manner that it helps in knowing if the movement is clear. The interlocking was electronic in this station. More can be known if there is electronic interlocking. Some stations are still using lever,” Railway Board Principal Executive Director (Signal Modernization) said.

The tragedy was caused due to the derailment of a train which lead to a collision between two passenger trains and a goods train.