‘Wear and tear probable cause’
The wear and tear in the tracks near the accident site in Fatehpur could be the reason for Sunday’s mishap, experts have suggested. Gulam Jeelani reports.
The wear and tear in the tracks near the accident site in Fatehpur could be the reason for Sunday’s mishap, experts have suggested.
The earlier suspicion that the accident occurred because of the application of the emergency brakes is now wearing thin.
“It is clear that the accident did not take place either due to the emergency brakes. A detailed investigation will reveal the cause,” Northern Railways general manager HC Joshi said at the accident site on Tuesday.
The general argument is that the application of the emergency brakes in a fast-moving train will bring all the bogies to a sudden halt within a space of 100 metres. In such a situation one coach does not climb on top of another, as it happened on Sunday. “The emergency brakes are connected to all the coaches of the train. Once applied, the entire train stops within 100 metres,” railway spokesperson Alok Srivastava said.
A former employee of the Lucknow-based Research Design and Standards Organisation said: “The brakes do not result in such damage.”
Meanwhile, a high-level probe team headed by chief railway security commissioner Prashant Kumar will begin its job on Wednesday. It will submit its report within a week.