GUWAHATI, Nov 14: The Railway Board ordered stricter safety measures after the Kolkata–Sairang Express derailed near Digaru railway station on November 11, making brake tests mandatory for loco pilots and assistant loco pilots after they take charge of a train.
In directions issued to all divisional railways on November 11, the Board said a special safety drive would be conducted from November 12 to 18. The drive will check whether loco pilots carried out brake feel tests and brake power tests as prescribed.
Divisions must submit a report to the Railway Board by November 20 if they find any discrepancy, the directions said.
A preliminary inquiry into the derailment found that the brake pipe angle cock in the locomotive was in a disconnected position. The six-member inquiry team said the component played an important role in applying brakes to the train coaches and its disconnection could have affected the main braking system.
The inquiry has not established who disconnected the system or whether the train crew failed to complete the prescribed safety checks before operating the train.
Under the Board's directions, a brake feel test requires a train to be run at around 15 kmph before the main brake is applied, reducing the speed to around 10 kmph. For a brake power test, passenger trains must be brought to 60-70 kmph and then slowed to 30-35 kmph. Freight trains must be run at 40-50 kmph before being slowed to 20-25 kmph.
Assistant loco pilots have also been made responsible for ensuring that both tests are completed. They must remind the loco pilot, if necessary, and monitor the functioning of the brakes.
A railway official said a lack of communication during an earlier locomotive-change procedure at Guwahati could have led to the brake pipe angle cock remaining disconnected. The practice of replacing the electric locomotive with a diesel locomotive had recently stopped after electrification of the route, and the train continued from Guwahati with the electric locomotive.
The official said the employee responsible for disconnecting the angle cock during locomotive changes was on leave when the practice was discontinued. Investigators suspect that after returning to duty on November 11, the employee may have disconnected it under the earlier procedure without knowing that the electric locomotive would continue the journey. The inquiry is also examining whether the crew skipped the mandatory brake tests or relied on regenerative braking. No responsibility has been fixed so far.
