Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: The Railway Board ordered all zones to enforce mandatory braking tests immediately. This follows the November 11 derailment of the Kolkata-Sairang Express near Digaru station in Assam. A safety drive runs from November 12 to 18 to ensure crews perform these critical checks. Results must reach the Board by November 20.
A six-member inquiry team found the train’s BP angle cock was isolated. This part triggers brakes in the coaches. Officials suspect a communication failure during the locomotive transition in Guwahati caused the error. A staff member, returning from leave on November 11, isolated the cock out of habit. He ignored that the train no longer required a locomotive swap. This left the main braking system offline.
Crews must now perform a brake feel test by slowing the train from 15 kmph to 10 kmph. Passenger trains require a brake power test at 60-70 kmph, dropping to 30-35 kmph. Goods trains must drop from 40-50 kmph to 20-25 kmph. An official stated, "The train crew may have either failed to conduct the mandatory braking tests or relied on regenerative braking along with the main A-9 braking system while checking the train’s braking capability."
The assistant loco pilot must now verify these tests. They must remind the lead pilot of safety protocols. The investigation continues into whether crew negligence or technical oversights caused the crash.
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