Odisha train accident: Rail minister Vaishnaw says ‘root cause’ identified

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said the root cause of the three-train accident in Odisha’s Balasore has been identified.

Speaking to news agency ANI, the minister, who was present at the accident site to oversee the restoration work, said the probe into the horrific train accident is complete and the commissioner of railway safety will soon submit the report.

“Inquiry is also over. Commissioner rail safety will submit an inquiry report soon and all facts will be revealed. The root cause of this horrific accident has been identified,” Vaishnaw told ANI without disclosing the reason behind the crash that killed at least 294 and injured hundreds of passengers.

The Chennai-bound Coromandel Express carrying around 1500 passengers crashed into a stationary freight train at Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Odisha Balasore on Friday night. The wreckage derailed another express train running north from Bengaluru to Kolkata that was passing the site.

Initial findings suggest that a “mistaken” signal likely led to the Coromandel Express entering a side track, called loop line, on which a goods train was parked a few metres ahead. According to a preliminary probe by senior railway officials, the line on which the two trains collided was “partially corroded”.

The report, seen by HT, stated that the Coromandel Express entered the loop line near the Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Balasore around 7pm on Friday because of a “mistaken” signal, which was immediately withdrawn.

“After careful observation, (we) came to the conclusion that the signal was given and taken off for the main line for 12841 (Coromandel Express), but this train entered the loop line and dashed with the goods train which was on the loop line and derailed,” said the report signed by four senior railway officials, who inspected the accident site on Friday night.

The exact cause of the accident will only be determined after a detailed technical inquiry by the commissioner of railway safety. The Union railway ministry has already ordered a high-level probe into the accident.

Vaishnaw said the restoration work is in full swing with an aim to finish it by Wednesday morning.