ER revokes notice banning issuance of TA-912 authorising loco pilots to cross signal in danger

A day after banning the issuance of Travel Authority 912 (TA-912) authorising loco pilots to cross red signal during signal failures, the Eastern Railway withdrew the circular.

“The above letter has been issued erroneously and hence it is withdrawn,” the notice by Senior Divisional Operations Manager (SDOM) said on June 20 (Thursday). The subject of the circular read, “Regarding Issuance of T/A 912”.

Earlier, on June 19 an official of Eastern Railway had issued a circular stating that “issuance of TA-912 will remain suspended till further advice”. A senior official of Eastern Railway told The Hindu that the notification banning issuance of TA-912 was issued by a junior official in reaction to the Kanchenjunga Express accident on June 17. The same has been rectified by the circular by SDOM on June 20.

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The accident involving a goods train and Kanchanjunga Express in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district left 10 persons including three Railway crew members dead and several others injured.

Officials of the Northeast Frontier Railway had admitted that the automated signalling system on the route where the accident occurred at 8.55 a.m. was not functioning. The automated signalling system had failed between Rangapani and Chattar Hat railway stations since 5.50 a.m. on June 17 and travel memos to cross the signals in red were issued to both the trains - Kanchanjunga Express and the goods train.

An inquiry by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) Janak Kumar Garg into the accident began from June 19 and till late evening on June 20, about 16 persons including various railway personnel assigned in the area where the accident occurred had recorded their statement.

It has also come to light during the CRS inquiry that one of the gatemen had informed Rangapani Railway Station about a goods train running on the same track on which Kanchanjunga Express had left a little while ago. While one of the loco pilots of the goods train that hit Kanchanjunga Express, Anil Kumar, died in the accident, assistant loco pilot Manu Kumar was admitted to a hospital in Siliguri with severe injuries.

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Mr. Manu Kumar told a private television news channel that by the time both the drivers spotted the express train, it was too late to apply brakes. He said that the loco pilot told him to apply brakes and also pulled the lever. According to the assistant loco pilot, the last words of loco pilot Anil Kumar were to “’apply brakes... even if the bogies derail”. The statement of Mr. Manu Kumar, who remains in hospital and can barely mumble a few words, remains crucial to the inquiry into the tragedy. So far the assistant loco pilot of the goods train has not been able to record his statement before the CRS inquiry.

Questions have also been raised on why the goods train was travelling at a faster speed when the speed of the train should have been regulated after TA memos were issued to it. There is no certainty as to what the speed of the goods train had been when it met with the accident and it remains subject of the CRS inquiry.