On Friday, June 2, 2023 three trains are involved in a crash that according to CBC killed 275 people and injured 1,000 more, making it India's deadliest train crash in more than two decades. So how did it happen? And why do train accidents keep happening in India despite investigations?
What we know so far from the train accident investigation in India
According the The Guardian, the Coromandel Express was travelling about 80mph (which is within speed limits) when a suspected malfunction occurred with the interlocking system, allowing the Express to move off the main track and on to a side track used to park trains. This resulted in the Express crashing into a parked freight train with the engine and he first 5 coaches jumping the tracks and hitting the last 2 coaches of the Yesvantpur-Howrah train. The Yesvantpur-Howrah train was also travelling at about 80 mph.
The train interlocking system
The interlocking system is a computer controlled track management system which directs trains to empty tracks at track intersections. At the time of the crash, it is believed that a malfunction in the system resulted in the Express receiving a 'green' light to proceed to a loop track (a side track used to park trains) when in fact, there was already a parked freight train. According the the CBC, railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that there was a change in electronic interlocking which contributed to the crash.
Why significant improvements are unlikely
While the investigation into the crash is still ongoing and is likely to take some time to reach its final conclusions, there are already some pieces of information that are suggesting that India will continue to see train crashes in the years to come.
As a country that has one of the highest rates of train incidents world wide (49 per day compared to 93 per year in Canada) India appears to have a systematic issue with railway safety. It is unlikely that each of the 17, 885 incidents in 2021 were the result of completely independent and unique root causes, especially considering the railway system in India is under one management system (the largest in the world).
The hints that this latest deadly crash will not lead to any significant change come in the statements made in the media. Although the incident investigation has not yet been completed, it has already been announced that the root cause of the crash was the failure of the interlocking system. On the surface this sounds like great investigative work, however the failure of the interlocking system is not the true root cause. It is the immediate or basic cause.
The true root cause lies in asking why did the system fail.
Accident Investigation - Fact finding or fault assigning
I have faith that investigators in India will do their best to answer the above question, and suspect that those stating the root cause as being the failure of the interlocking system are merely naïve to the terms meaning and significance in incident investigation. However, when statements are made publicly this early in an investigation that officials have "vowed punishment for anyone found responsible", it is difficult to believe that those closest to the interlocking system will be willing to openly discuss their potential involvement in its design and operation.
With the exception of sabotage (which they actually haven't ruled out at the time of this posting), the notion of punishment has no place in an incident investigation. People make mistakes, and although accountability for ones actions is vital in improving the workplace, it is rare that the reasons for those mistakes can't be traced back to a systemic issue within an organization. And with the highest incident rate in the railway industry, it is even harder to believe that India doesn't have a systemic issue (or several) to deal with before any real positive change is seen.
CBC Signal failure led to India's deadly train crash, officials say (retrieved June 5, 2023)
The Guardian What caused the India train crash? A visual guide to what we know (retrieved June 5, 2023).
Money Control Train crashes in India fewer today, yet far higher than most nations (retrieved June 5, 2023)
Government of Canada Rail transportation occurrences statistical summary (retrieved June 5, 2023)
The New York Times India vows punishment for those responsible for deadly train crash (retrieved June 5, 2023)