Nanded Express collision due to failure of railway staff

New Delhi, Sep 10 (UNI) The July 16 collision of Amritsar-Nanded Express with a road vehicle at a manned level crossing between Dhola Mazara and Dhirpur railway stations on the Delhi-Ambala route, in which one person was killed, was due to failure of Railway staff, an inquiry commission has revealed.

''The accident had occurred due to failure of Railway staff and failure of person other than Railway Staff,'' according to the statutory inquiry by Commissioner of Railway Safety, Northern Circle.

The collision took place on the electrified section of Delhi Division of Northern Railway at 1055 hrs on July 16. One train passenger died and four were grievously injured as a result of this accident.

The Commissioner, Railway Safety, who made a number of recommendations for preventing the recurrence of such collisions, said that in the gate working instructions, failure of lifting barrier should be elaborated to include failure of locking arrangements.

The level crossing gate No. 93C-Class, where the collision occurred, should be interlocked with signals and kept open to road traffic.

Format regarding the opening and closing the level crossing gates should be approved by the Railway Administration and printed registers with this format be given to the gatemen on duty for recording the opening and closing of the level crossing gates. The register should contain pages for recording the failure of level crossing gates.

Details of failure and its rectification should be recorded on the similar pattern as done in signal failure register kept with Station Master/Assistant Station Master in their rooms.

UNI