Odisha Train Crash Probe Now Focuses On Suspected Manual Bypass Of Track Signal: Report

In a devastating railway accident that claimed the lives of at least 288 individuals and left over 1,000 injured, new details have emerged regarding the manual bypassing of a crucial train signal, according to a recent report.

According to reports, the Indian Railways have disclosed that an automatic signaling system responsible for regulating train movements was intentionally bypassed, a revelation that has become the focal point of the official investigation into the Odisha rail tragedy. This bypass is believed to have resulted in a high-speed express train colliding with a stationary goods train.

Insiders familiar with the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity, have informed Reuters that investigators from the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) suspect railway personnel conducted the bypass to overcome signaling complications caused by a faulty barrier at a nearby railway-road intersection.

Although the sources declined to be named due to media restrictions, they said that the railway employees violated regulations by tampering with the automated signaling system.

The fatal railway accident took place on June 2 at the Bahanaga Bazar station in Odisha's Balasore district and is being hailed as the deadliest incident in the past two decades.

While both Indian and international media previously speculated about a malfunction in the automated signaling system, it was Reuters who first reported the connection between ongoing issues at the adjacent rail-road barrier and the potential manual bypass of the signaling system.

Indian Railways officials have asserted that interfering with the automated system is strictly prohibited, even though routine maintenance is carried out as necessary. They confirmed that an investigation is ongoing but refrained from providing further details about the causes of the crash.

Amitabh Sharma, the top information officer of the Railways Ministry, stated that the exact cause of the accident is still under investigation. When questioned about the concerns raised by investigators regarding a potential manual bypass of the electronic system, Sharma referred to them as speculations that cannot be confirmed at this time.

Reuters interviewed five residents of Bahanaga village, who revealed that the railway crossing's barrier had been broken for approximately three months and was repeatedly repaired. According to locals, the barrier would often become stuck in the locked position, requiring manual intervention from railway staff to open it.