New Delhi: The probe launched into the Kanchanjunga Express accident has found improper instructions and inadequate counselling of train running and operations staff as the reasons for the mishap on June 17.
The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), which is tasked with the probe, has come out with a preliminary report.
The report calls for a complete overhaul of train operations across the system to prevent future accidents. It also said that the frequent malfunctioning of the automatic signalling system is defeating the very purpose for which the mechanism has been deployed, The Economic Times reported.
Going into the specifics, the probe pointed out that inadequate permissions were given to loco pilots on the day when the accident took place. Important instructions, like adhering to speed limits on trains, were not clearly issued to loco pilots, while allowing movement of trains on the routes where automatic signalling had failed, the probe report added.
The probe also blamed it on inadequate counselling of loco pilots and station masters about train operations in automatic signalling territory, which, it said, created misinterpretation and misunderstanding of rules.
The CRS report went on to underline that failures in automatic signalling were a cause of concern and that efforts should be made to take these concerns with research arms of the railways as well as equipment suppliers to ensure that the systems work with more precision.
The Kanchanjunga Express, which was bound for Sealdah in West Bengal, was hit by a goods train in New Jalpaiguri on June 17, killing nine people and leaving several injured.
