Shocking! Engine driver’s alerts ignored causing 30 deaths

The locomotive driver’s efforts to send alerts to the guard and the assistant station master fell on deaf ears.

LUCKNOW: The locomotive driver of Janata Express (14266 DN), which met with an accident on Friday, said on Saturday that all his efforts to send alerts to the guard of the train and the assistant station master of Bachhrawan railway station fall on deaf ears because of “unknown reasons”.

“I tried to apply the break 1,400 metres before Bachhrawan railway station, where distant signal was located. But it was not working. I also tried to call the guard and the station master of Bachhrawan to stop the train. But I don’t know why they didn’t respond,” said Paras Nath Mishra, the driver of Janata Express, who is recuperating in hospital after minor injuries.
Major tragedy If sources are to be believed, the train accident at Bachrawan railway station could have been worse as another train was approaching the ill-fated Dehradun-Varanasi Janata Express when its driver realised that the brakes of the locomotive had failed.
Meanwhile, normal movement of trains resumed on the Lucknow-Varanasi section of Northern Railway after debris was removed from the spot where Dehradun-Varanasi Janata Express train derailed near Bachrawan Railway Station, officials said on Saturday.
Mishra said: “Everything was alright when the train left Nigohan railway station. It was barely 50 km from Bachhrawan and I realised that the break was not working. Having no other option left with me, I tried to apply the brakes which stop the engine. But that was not responsive. Then I tried to use the dynamic magnetic brake, which was the last resort for me. But that too didn’t work.”
“Then I and my assistant Subodh Kumar tried in vain to pull the emergency valve to stop it. Finally, I called A. K. Gupta, the guard of the train, on the walky-talky to apply the break from his cabin. But he also didn’t respond.”
“I also appealed again to the assistant station master of Bachhrawan to do something about it. He shifted the train to the loop-line. I hope that the Railways will support the victims’ families. But this is not the time to play politics. The Railways should provide adequate assistance to the victims at the earliest.”
Mishra further said he had put the train in neutral mode but it was still running. The speed of the train couldn’t be controlled even after it was put on the loop-line. It finally broke the barrier and got derailed. The death toll went up to 58 on Saturday as 26 more passengers succumbed to critical injuries.
Meanwhile, Congress president Sonia Gandhi visited Trauma Centre of King George Medical University in Lucknow on Saturday and met the critically injured persons. She expressed her condolence for the dead passengers.
Sonia said it was not the time for blame game of politics. She would pray for the victims and hopes that the injured would recuperate soon.

Former UP Pradesh Congress chief and MLA Rita Joshi said majority of those killed or injured in the accident were from Rae Bareli or Amethi — the Lok Sabha constituencies of Sonia and her son Rahul.

Speed probe Manoj Sinha, Minister of state for Railways, said: “The probe report of this accident will be completed in one month.” Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of State for Railway Manoj Sinha visited the trauma center at King George Medical University in Lucknow yesterday to meet the injured.

The Railways will meet the full expense on their treatment, Northern Railway PRO Ashwini Srivastava said. An inquiry is being conducted by the Commissioner Railway Safety of Northern Circle to ascertain the cause of the derailment.