Goods train overshoots Nadiad track
Goods train from Mundra shoots across destination Nadiad, stops 11 km away due to miscommunication. It was sheer luck no other train was scheduled on the busy Ahmedabad-Mumbai route during that hour
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Saturday, August 28, 2010 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=20100828201008280355388711887a18a)
The train was carrying fertilisers from Indian Potash Limited in Mundra Port to Nadiad. The 58-wagon train crossed Ahmedabad, Geratpur, Barejadi, Kanij, Memdavad and reached Gothaj where it was given the clear signal to Nadiad. The train hurtled on till the driver and guard realised they had overshot Nadiad and reached Khachri Bhuria, 11 km away.
Security lapse
According to Uke, the driver realised the mistake when the train reached Uttarsanda, 8 km from Nadiad. The driver immediately informed the higher authorities. The engine was removed and attached to the other end. The train finally chugged into Nadiad station at 6.45 am. No other train was delayed or cancelled as the authorities diverted these through a loopline.
“It is not such a big incident,” said Uke, trying to dismiss the entire issue as trivial. Interestingly, there are stop marks at both ends of tracks so that coaches — especially ladies coaches, coaches meant for handicapped as well as the engine — can be halted at exact locations. If the engine overshoots the mark by even a few centimetres, the concerned staff is hauled up as the mistake is considered a security lapse.
Meanwhile, highly placed sources trashed the official version. “The train did not stop at Uttarsanda. It reached Khachri Bhuria, which is 11 km away from Nadiad, before the driver realised something was wrong,” said an official, requesting anonymity.
Death averted
The ‘trivial’ mistake could have easily ended in a major disaster. The Ahmedabad-Mumbai route is one of the busiest routes in the western zone. Between 10 pm to 3 am, more than 25 trains ply between the two stations. A passenger train usually carries 2,500 to 3,000 people.
When the goods train overshot its destination, it turned into a ghost train — one which was not on the schedule. The blind spot could have claimed hundreds of lives had any passenger train been hurtling down the supposedly clear tracks.
The incident also cost the railways lakhs of rupees. “The money adds up due to the manpower, time and effort wasted,” said sources.
Chinese whispers
The official said, “Passenger trains have numbers but goods trains have names. The mistake was made by the control room that relayed data about the train’s movement.
“Also, before a train chugs off from the first station, the guard and driver are given a Brake Power Certificate (BPC) which contains details of each stop. Despite this, the train overshot its mark. It is possible that the driver was new to the route and therefore, did not realise that Nadiad station was coming up ahead.”
Uke said, “Senior officers of the Vadodara division has begun a probe into the matter. They spoke to all concerned station masters on Friday.”
Reliable sources added that two employees were suspended till further inquiry
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Saturday, August 28, 2010 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=20100828201008280355388711887a18a)
A tragedy was averted on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai rail route on Thursday night when a goods train ended up several kilometres away from the station it was supposed to stop. More than 25 passenger trains ply on this route between 10 pm and 3 am. The incident occurred at midnight on Thursday.
The train was carrying fertilisers from Indian Potash Limited in Mundra Port to Nadiad. The 58-wagon train crossed Ahmedabad, Geratpur, Barejadi, Kanij, Memdavad and reached Gothaj where it was given the clear signal to Nadiad. The train hurtled on till the driver and guard realised they had overshot Nadiad and reached Khachri Bhuria, 11 km away. Senior Divisional Operating Manager (Vadodara) Pankaj Uke confirmed that the train did overshoot the station. “The station master at Gothaj gave the train the green signal to move on to Nadiad. As per procedure, he also called up the Nadiad station master to update him about the train’s movement. The Nadiad station master misheard that the train was on its way to Ratlam. So, he cleared the train, too. As the Mundra-Ratlam train does not stop at Nadiad, the station master gave it the all-clear.” Seeing the green light, the driver of the speeding train hurtled past the station.
Security lapse
According to Uke, the driver realised the mistake when the train reached Uttarsanda, 8 km from Nadiad. The driver immediately informed the higher authorities. The engine was removed and attached to the other end. The train finally chugged into Nadiad station at 6.45 am. No other train was delayed or cancelled as the authorities diverted these through a loopline.
“It is not such a big incident,” said Uke, trying to dismiss the entire issue as trivial. Interestingly, there are stop marks at both ends of tracks so that coaches — especially ladies coaches, coaches meant for handicapped as well as the engine — can be halted at exact locations. If the engine overshoots the mark by even a few centimetres, the concerned staff is hauled up as the mistake is considered a security lapse.
Meanwhile, highly placed sources trashed the official version. “The train did not stop at Uttarsanda. It reached Khachri Bhuria, which is 11 km away from Nadiad, before the driver realised something was wrong,” said an official, requesting anonymity.
Death averted
The ‘trivial’ mistake could have easily ended in a major disaster. The Ahmedabad-Mumbai route is one of the busiest routes in the western zone. Between 10 pm to 3 am, more than 25 trains ply between the two stations. A passenger train usually carries 2,500 to 3,000 people.
When the goods train overshot its destination, it turned into a ghost train — one which was not on the schedule. The blind spot could have claimed hundreds of lives had any passenger train been hurtling down the supposedly clear tracks.
The incident also cost the railways lakhs of rupees. “The money adds up due to the manpower, time and effort wasted,” said sources.
Chinese whispers
The official said, “Passenger trains have numbers but goods trains have names. The mistake was made by the control room that relayed data about the train’s movement.
“Also, before a train chugs off from the first station, the guard and driver are given a Brake Power Certificate (BPC) which contains details of each stop. Despite this, the train overshot its mark. It is possible that the driver was new to the route and therefore, did not realise that Nadiad station was coming up ahead.”
Uke said, “Senior officers of the Vadodara division has begun a probe into the matter. They spoke to all concerned station masters on Friday.”
Reliable sources added that two employees were suspended till further inquiry
