2015 Uttar Pradesh train accident explained

2015 Uttar Pradesh derailment
Date:20 March 2015
Time:09:10
Location:Bachhrawan, Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh
Country:India
Line:Varanasi-Rae Bareli-Lucknow line
Operator:Indian Railways
Type:Derailment
Cause:Under investigation, brake failure suspected
Trains:1
Passengers:400+
Crew:85
Deaths:58
Injuries:150+

The 2015 Uttar Pradesh train accident occurred on 20 March 2015. The Dehradun Varanasi Janata Express (train number 14266) derailed near Bachhrawan in Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh, northern India, resulting in at least 58 deaths and 150 people being injured. The accident was attributed to brake failure.

Accident

At 09:10 local time (03:40 UTC) on 20 March 2015,[1] a passenger train overshot a signal at, Uttar Pradesh, India. The locomotive and two carriages were derailed. The train was reported to be carrying more than 400 passengers and 85 members of staff.[2] The train was the Janata Express from to Varanasi. The driver reported by radio that his brakes had failed, and that he could not stop the train. It was diverted into a siding and crashed through the buffers at Bachhrawan. Photographs show that the carriage next to the locomotive was severely telescoped,[3] it was reported to have been packed with passengers.[4] Fifty-eight people were killed, and more than 150 injured.[5] A preliminary report by the Ministry of Civil Aviation cited 39 dead and 38 injured passengers.[6] A team of doctors from the King George's Medical University in Lucknow was dispatched to the scene of the accident.[1] The injured were taken to the King George's Medical University and Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow, or to a hospital in Rae Bareli.[7]

Investigation

An investigation was opened into the accident by the Commission of Railway Safety. Brake failure was stated by unidentified railway sources as the cause of the accident.[1] The train's driver and guard were seen by witnesses signalling that there was a problem with the train.[7]

Provisional findings of the Commission of Railway Safety discussed on a conference in October 2015 report a “discontinuity of brake pipe pressure between the train engine and the trailing load of passenger coaches caused by wrong position of additional cut out cock provided in the brake pipe of the locomotive which is not having the safety features specified in the design against inadvertent or unauthorized operation.”[8]

See also

References

26.4775°N 81.1046°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 32 Die as Train Derails Near Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh, 50 People Injured . Niha . Mahesh . NDTV India. 20 March 2015.
  2. News: Indian train accident kills at least 30, leaves 50 injured . Sharat . Pradhan . 20 March 2015 . . 20 March 2015.
  3. News: India train accident kills at least 34 in Uttar Pradesh . BBC News . 20 March 2015 . 20 March 2015.
  4. News: 34 killed as train derails in Rae Bareli . Sandeep . Joshi . . 20 March 2015 . 20 March 2015.
  5. Web site: 30 dead, 150 injured as three coaches of Janta Express train derail in Raebareli . https://web.archive.org/web/20150322234311/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/30-dead-150-injured-as-three-coaches-of-janta-express-train-derail-in-raebareli/535066-3-242.html . dead . 22 March 2015 . Marya . Shakil . . 20 March 2015.
  6. Web site: Preliminary Report About Inquiry Into the Derailment of 14266 Down Dehradun-Varanasi Janata Express at Baccharawan Station Near Raibareli in UP . Ministry of Civil Aviation . 10 February 2016 .
  7. Web site: 38 dead, 150 injured as train derails in UP's Rae Bareli . Shailvee . Sharda . Yusra . Husain . . 20 March 2015.
  8. Web site: Agenda for CME's Conference . indianrailways.gov.in.