Karnataka train accident: Probe points finger at engineers

BENGALURU: A track fault led to derailment of the Bengaluru-Ernakulam Express at Anekal in Karnataka on February 13 that killed 11 people, an interim investigation report has said. According to the report, railway authorities/engineers did not alert the loco-pilot about the track having been repaired a day before the accident. The report, accessed by STOI, said, "The track underwent soldering/welding a day back. The track which has been repaired must not exceed 30 km speed for one week after the welding." According to the report, the loco pilot was not at fault and the speedometer shows that the train was moving at 65 kmph at the time of the accident. The investigation found that when the train went on its normal speed (65kmph), the repaired track weakened and the fishplates got damaged. This led to immediate cracking of the track, resulting in the derailment. The broken tracks have now reached Lucknow for final inspection. "Technical staff at the rail factory in Lucknow will inspect the broken track before preparing the final report," a source said adding the tracks slowly developed cracks after the two engines and five bogies passed. "Had the train moved at less than 30 kmph, the accident wouldn't have happened. First, the plates lying under the tracks came off and then tracks came off the hinges. Meanwhile, the bogies derailed and the tracks broke into pieces," the source said. The train left Bengaluru for Ernakulam at 6.15 am that day. After covering nearly 40 km, while passing through Anekal around 7.33 am, two bogies derailed at an S shaped curve where welding work had been done the previous day. -TOI