An undetected fault in the wiring in the location box near Bahanaga Bazaar Railway Station that had not been noticed by Signal and Telecom (S&T) staff in the past five years led to the deadly triple train collision in Odisha. Installed at a distance of two to five kilometres usually, a location box houses cables which control signalling functions, including points, signals and track circuits.
A Commission of Rail Safety (CRS) report accessed by The Hindu pins the fault on the S&T Department, which was conducting the repair work on the day of the accident, June 2. Railway officials who are studying the collision said that the accident could have been averted if due procedures had been followed by running checks on the circuit which sets points on rail tracks, connecting the location box with the relay or control room.
They said that the entire cascade of events, which dates back to lapses being committed by S&T staff since 2018, came to light and attention after it led to a major accident, which is a colossal failure of safety.
