Page 4 - Train Accident

Vaishnaw reviews advanced version of Kavach, directs speedy installation

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has reviewed the progress of the advanced version of the Automatic Train Protection System (ATP) Kavach 4.0 at the Rail Bhawan here, officials said on Monday. Kavach 3.2 version is being installed on approved high-density routes, the railway officials said, adding that upgrading and installation of the latest version on new routes will go on simultaneously to cover a wider railway network in a shorter period. They said Vaishnaw reviewed the progress of Kavach 4.0 on June 22. "The three manufacturers of Kavach who are in the advanced stage of testing version 4.0 presented its progress report to the minister," a senior railway official said. After reviewing it, the minister directed that Kavach installation be taken up in a planned manner in mission mode as soon as it is ready, he added. The railway ministry maintains that the development of Kavach is a significant milestone in railway safety. In the past, Vaishnaw stated on several occasions durin

Indian Railways aims to implement Kavach system across 44,000 km in 5 years

Kavach is an automated train protection safety system designed to prevent collisions on the same track. The Railway Ministry is working on its installation on the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah routes

Kanchanjunga accident: ECR halts issuing of T/A 912, urges cautious driving

The East Central Railway has directed station masters in its area not to issue the note that authorises train drivers to cross signals in case of failure of the automatic signalling system, days after the Kanchanjunga Express-goods train collision in another zone killed 10 people. The decision to suspended the issuing of the T/A 912 written authority letter was taken at a safety meeting of the East Central Railway (ECR), according to a circular issued by the zone on June 21. On June 17, the goods train rammed into the passenger train in West Bengal's Darjeeling District that falls under the Northeast Frontier Railway zone. Drivers of both trains had been issued the T/A 912 as the automatic signalling on the Ranipatra station-Chattar Hat Junction was "defective", officials had said. While the Railway Board in its initial response had said the now-deceased goods train was over-speeding, driver unions have claimed there is no speed restrictions mentioned on the note and its member was

WB train accident: Probe blames lapses by goods train crew, operating dept

The initial probe into the June 17 Kanchanjunga Express accident has suggested there were lapses by the operating department of the New Jalpaiguri Rail Division and the crew of the goods train that hit the passenger train. At least 10 people were killed, including the passenger train's guard and the pilot of the goods train after it rammed into the stationary Sealdah-bound Kanchanjunga Express in West Bengal's Darjeeling district on Monday. The collision occurred near Rangapani station, 30 km from New Jalpaiguri station, causing four rear compartments of Kanchanjunga Express to derail due to the impact by the goods train's locomotive at 8.55 am, the official said. Soon after the accident, Railway Board chairperson Jaya Varma Sinha had said the collision took place because the goods train disregarded the signal. The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) has started a probe into the cause of the accident. The railways also set up a probe team of six senior officials who have filed the

Union Budget 2024: India's rail safety in focus after recent collisions

Despite substantial previous Budget allocations, incidents like the Kanchanjunga Express collision with a goods train in West Bengal highlight ongoing concerns

News updates: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi resigns from Wayanad seat of Lok Sabha

Latest news updates: Catch all the news updates from around the world here

Cong says govt destroying railways, asks for Ashwini Vaishnaw's resignation

Accusing the government of "destroying" Indian Railways, the Congress on Tuesday demanded Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's resignation in the wake of the Kanchanjunga Express accident and said that he has no moral right to remain in the position. The opposition party also took a swipe at Vaishnaw for reaching the accident site riding pillion on a motorcycle, asking whether he is a rail minister or a "reel minister". Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said whenever there is a train accident, Modi government's railway minister reaches the spot under the glare of cameras and behaves as if everything is fine. "Narendra Modi ji, tell us who should be held accountable, the Railway Minister or you?" the Congress chief asked. Kharge posed seven questions to the government and demanded answers. After a major accident like Balasore, why was not even a single kilometer of the much-hyped "Kavach" anti-train collision system added, he asked. "Why are nearly 3 lakh posts vacant in the ..

Unaffected coaches of Kanchanjunga Express reach Sealdah with survivors

The unaffected coaches of the Kanchanjunga Express, which was hit by a goods train near New Jalpaiguri, leaving 10 dead and several injured, arrived at Sealdah station here on Tuesday morning with nearly 850 passengers, according to an Eastern Railway official. At least four rear coaches of the train were severely damaged in the collision at Rangapani, about 10 km from New Jalpaiguri station, on Monday morning. "Around 800 to 850 passengers arrived at Sealdah at 3.16 am," ER spokesperson Kausik Mitra said. The unaffected coaches began their onward journey from the accident site on Monday afternoon. The passengers were provided with medical facilities, food, and water at various stations, including Malda Town and Sealdah, he added. Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, West Bengal Transport Minister Snehasis Chakraborty, and Divisional Railway Manager of Sealdah Division Deepak Nigam were present at Sealdah station to help passengers reach home safely, Mitra said. Train 13174 Kanchanjunga .

Kanchenjunga train mishap: Railways to hold inquiry in Bengal on June 19

A passenger who was present on the train when it met with an accident expressed concern and fear as she recalled the tragic incident

Yearly average of over 40 'consequential' train accidents since 2018-19

Longer-term trend shows decline in number of incidents

Kanchanjunga Express accident: Kavach status back in focus after mishap

The railway ministry is in process of floating tenders for Kavach integration for over 10,000 rkm, and has completed track-side infrastructure work on over 6,000 rkm, a top government official said

Kanchanjunga Express accident: At least 9 dead, 41 injured in collision

This is the fourth major rail accident in the past one year, including the triple train crash at Balasore, Odisha, in June 2023, claiming 293 lives

Kanchanjunga Express train accident highlights: Restoration and rescue work underway, say officials

Kanchanjungha Express West Bengal train accident latest news: Five passengers were left dead after a freight train crashed into the Kanchanjunga Express from behind in West Bengal's New Jalpaiguri

Tragedy in Darjeeling as trains collide, lack of Kavach raises questions

A viral video of Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw explaining the capabilities of Kavach has sparked renewed scrutiny

Kanchanjungha Express accident: Signal was defective since 5.50 am

The automatic signalling system between Ranipatra Railway Station and Chattar Hat Junction in West Bengal, where a goods train hit Sealdah Kanchanjungha Express in the rear, was defective since 5.50 in the morning, according to a railway source. "Train No 13174 (Sealdah Kanchanjungha Express) departed Rangapani station at 8:27 am and stopped between Ranipatra railway station and Chattar Hat due to automatic signalling failure from 5:50 am," the source told PTI. According to another railway official, when the automatic signalling system fails, the station master issues a written authority called TA 912, which authorises the driver to cross all red signals in the section because of the defect. "The station master of Ranipatra had issued TA 912 to Train No 1374 (Sealdah Kanchanjungha Express)," the source said. He added, "Around the same time, a goods train, GFCJ, departed Rangapani at 8:42 am and hit 13174 in the rear portion resulting from the derailment of the guard's coach, two ..

Mamata to visit train accident site in New Jalpaiguri, review relief ops

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will on Monday visit the train accident site in New Jalpaiguri to take stock of relief operations, an official said. At least 15 passengers died and 60 others were injured, after three rear coaches of the stationary Sealdah-bound Kanchanjunga Express derailed on Monday morning as a goods train collided with it in West Bengal's Darjeeling district. "The chief minister is going to visit the accident spot in New Jalpaiguri to take stock of the relief operations," the official told PTI. The three rear compartments derailed under the impact of the collision from behind by the locomotive of the goods train near Rangapani station, about 30 km from North Bengal's New Jalpaiguri station, railway officials said.

Four coaches of Sabarmati-Agra superfast train derail in Rajasthan's Ajmer

Four coaches of the Sabarmati-Agra superfast train derailed in Ajmer, Rajasthan. No casualties have been reported so far and Ajmer station also issued a helpline number, 0145-2429642

Empty train coach catches fire at railway yard in Thane, no casualties

A coach of an empty train caught fire at a railway yard in Maharashtra's Thane district in the wee hours of Saturday, an official from the Central Railway (CR) said. The blaze occurred around 1.20 am in the train parked at the railway yard in Badlapur, around 70-80 km from here, the CR spokesperson said. The train was on the Karjat bound loop line, he said. "While the coach was destroyed in the fire, there was no other damage or injury to any person. The Central Railway has ordered a probe by the assistant officers committee," the spokesperson said. The blaze was brought under control in an hour, he said. Following the fire, the overheard wires were switched off between Badlapur and Vangani stations, officials said. Meanwhile, commuters claimed that a few late-night local trains were halted midway due to the fire.

Kharge expresses grief over Jharkhand train accident, seeks impartial probe

Earlier in the day, President Droupadi Murmu expressed grief and offered her condolences on the loss of lives and people injured in the train accident in the Jamtara district of Jharkhand

At least two killed as train hits them in Jharkhand's Jamtara district

At least two persons were run over and killed by a train in Jharkhand's Jamtara district on Wednesday evening, police said. Jamtara sub-division police officer (SDPO) M Rahman told PTI that the accident took place near Kaljharia area in Jamtara district when some passengers got down from the train from the wrong side. "A local train coming on another line hit them," he said. "Bodies of two persons have been recovered so far. Search operation is on and the toll might increase," he said.