NEW DELHI: The derailment of a freight train wagon on the Agra railway section on February 28 has led to a blame game among various railway departments over responsibilities.
However, they all agreed that overheating of the hub bearing was the cause of the accident.
The 59-wagon freight train loaded with coal, which started from Odisha to its destination station in Ambala, derailed near Manya railway station, which falls under Agra railway section.
“About 20 minutes before it derailed, it crossed Dholpur while traveling from Jhansi to Agra on Saturday,” an official said.
Although the derailment occurred on the third line, it disrupted the smooth operation of several passenger and freight trains for several hours.
A preliminary investigation conducted by a five-member team from the Agra division found that overheating of the axle of one of the vehicles led to the accident.
While four officials held the Bus and Carriage Department responsible for negligence in maintenance, the officer representing the administration in the investigation committee blamed the mechanical department in the hot axis and traffic, as well as the engineering department, for detaining many trains after they derailed.
He even questioned why the guard, gatekeeper and deputy station supervisor failed to notice and report the smoke emanating from the defective carriage in time to prevent the accident.
The officer also blamed the Jhansi Railway Division for dereliction of duty, saying that the train was coming from Jhansi and such overheating and deterioration in the hot axle does not happen after a few kilometers of operations.
Describing the condition of the said carriage, he claimed that the train ran for more than 30 to 40 kilometers after the temperature started to rise, yet no one along the way to Manya railway station noticed or reported it.
The officer squarely blamed the Jhansi division staff for overlooking the “deplorable condition” of the carriage and the extensive damage to it, and suggested that the guard on duty check both sides of the train for smoke or unsafe train movement.
In response, other committee members rejected the claim that only C&W management was responsible, and said that all crossings between Dholpur and Manya are on the other side, which could prevent gate staff from noticing the smoke.
They even questioned the C&W official’s claim that the train ran for more than 30 to 40 kilometers after the bearings started overheating, and said no evidence was provided to substantiate this assertion.
The staff deployed on their way from Dholpur to Mania stated in their written notes that they did not notice the smoke. The train guard said that he asked the train conductor to stop the train the moment he noticed the smoke.
The guard said that when the train stopped, he realized that one of the carriages had derailed.
According to the investigation report, the derailment caused more loss than that $30 lakh for railways plus delays in several other passenger and goods trains.
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