Tamil Nadu train accident: Eerie parallels with two train collisions from 2023
Oct 12, 2024, 11:55 IST
A night of chaos unfolded near Chennai as the Mysuru-Darbhanga Bagmati Superfast Express collided with a stationary goods train at Kavaraipettai railway station on Friday evening. The collision derailed 12 coaches and set three ablaze, resulting in 19 reported injuries. Among the injured, four passengers sustained severe injuries and are being treated at Government Stanley Medical College Hospital in Chennai.
The collision occurred around 8:30 PM, when the express train, travelling at 80 km/h, entered a loop line — a secondary track that runs parallel to the main line at a station or junction — crashing into the goods train. The parcel van caught fire, and an immediate emergency response was launched. Rescue teams rushed to the scene, aided by ambulances and medical relief teams, to evacuate passengers and contain the fire. Fortunately, no fatalities have been reported so far, though many fear the worst, as detailed injury reports are still pending.
The Indian Railways has ordered a high-level inquiry, while the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been called in to investigate whether the collision was caused by a signal malfunction or if foul play was involved. This move raises the question of whether this was a tragic accident or an intentional act. The NIA’s investigation will seek to uncover the truth behind the malfunction that led to the express train entering the loop line, triggering the catastrophic collision.
As further investigations around the Chennai train accident unfold, political leaders have expressed their outrage, with Rahul Gandhi likening the incident to the Balasore train accident and calling for greater accountability from the government.A strange reminder
The devastating triple train accident in Odisha's Balasore claimed hundreds of lives and left over 1,000 people injured. On June 2, 2023, three trains — a pair of passenger trains and a freight train — were involved in a collision in Balasore. Around 7 PM, the Coromandel Shalimar Express, en route to Chennai and travelling at 128 km/h, mistakenly switched onto the loop line instead of the main line, crashing into a stationary freight train. The freight train, loaded with iron ore, acted as an immovable barrier, leading to a severe impact that caused the Coromandel Express to derail.
Due to the high speed of the passenger train and the heavy load of the goods train, 21 coaches derailed, with three of them crashing into the SMVT Bengaluru–Howrah Superfast Express on the adjacent track. The Balasore disaster claimed 296 lives and left over 1,200 people injured.
And incidentally, exactly one year later, on June 2, 2024, two freight trains collided near Madhopur in Sirhind, reportedly injuring the train operators. A Government Railway Police official stated that two locomotive pilots were hurt when a stationary freight train was struck from behind by another train at the Sirhind railway station.
Similarly, the Chennai train accident also occurred exactly one year after the North East Express, travelling from Delhi's Anand Vihar Terminal to Kamakhya Junction in Guwahati, Assam, derailed on October 11, 2023, with six coaches going off the tracks. Television footage showed that two AC 3 Tier coaches had overturned, while four other coaches were derailed. According to reports, the accident resulted in four deaths and 70 injuries.
While these events are most likely unfortunate coincidences — considering railway accidents in India usually number in the hundreds each year, the bizarre-ness is the slightest bit unsettling.
Meanwhile, the public is left waiting for answers as rail safety in India once again faces scrutiny. And 18 trains have been cancelled, and several others have been diverted as restoration work continues after the Chennai train collision. Heavy rainfall has further delayed efforts to clear the debris and restore normal train services.
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The collision occurred around 8:30 PM, when the express train, travelling at 80 km/h, entered a loop line — a secondary track that runs parallel to the main line at a station or junction — crashing into the goods train. The parcel van caught fire, and an immediate emergency response was launched. Rescue teams rushed to the scene, aided by ambulances and medical relief teams, to evacuate passengers and contain the fire. Fortunately, no fatalities have been reported so far, though many fear the worst, as detailed injury reports are still pending.
The Indian Railways has ordered a high-level inquiry, while the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been called in to investigate whether the collision was caused by a signal malfunction or if foul play was involved. This move raises the question of whether this was a tragic accident or an intentional act. The NIA’s investigation will seek to uncover the truth behind the malfunction that led to the express train entering the loop line, triggering the catastrophic collision.
As further investigations around the Chennai train accident unfold, political leaders have expressed their outrage, with Rahul Gandhi likening the incident to the Balasore train accident and calling for greater accountability from the government.
A strange reminder
The devastating triple train accident in Odisha's Balasore claimed hundreds of lives and left over 1,000 people injured. On June 2, 2023, three trains — a pair of passenger trains and a freight train — were involved in a collision in Balasore. Around 7 PM, the Coromandel Shalimar Express, en route to Chennai and travelling at 128 km/h, mistakenly switched onto the loop line instead of the main line, crashing into a stationary freight train. The freight train, loaded with iron ore, acted as an immovable barrier, leading to a severe impact that caused the Coromandel Express to derail.Due to the high speed of the passenger train and the heavy load of the goods train, 21 coaches derailed, with three of them crashing into the SMVT Bengaluru–Howrah Superfast Express on the adjacent track. The Balasore disaster claimed 296 lives and left over 1,200 people injured.
And incidentally, exactly one year later, on June 2, 2024, two freight trains collided near Madhopur in Sirhind, reportedly injuring the train operators. A Government Railway Police official stated that two locomotive pilots were hurt when a stationary freight train was struck from behind by another train at the Sirhind railway station.
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Similarly, the Chennai train accident also occurred exactly one year after the North East Express, travelling from Delhi's Anand Vihar Terminal to Kamakhya Junction in Guwahati, Assam, derailed on October 11, 2023, with six coaches going off the tracks. Television footage showed that two AC 3 Tier coaches had overturned, while four other coaches were derailed. According to reports, the accident resulted in four deaths and 70 injuries.
While these events are most likely unfortunate coincidences — considering railway accidents in India usually number in the hundreds each year, the bizarre-ness is the slightest bit unsettling.
Meanwhile, the public is left waiting for answers as rail safety in India once again faces scrutiny. And 18 trains have been cancelled, and several others have been diverted as restoration work continues after the Chennai train collision. Heavy rainfall has further delayed efforts to clear the debris and restore normal train services.