Kolkata-Sairang train derailment: Probe points to brake failure; Railways orders checks
10962966 kolkata sairang derailment special arrangement express photo
- ✓10962966 kolkata sairang derailment special arrangement express photo
- ✓The drive, which began on November 12, a day after the incident, will continue until November 18.
- ✓The Railway investigation covered the sequence of events over the train's 33-km journey from Guwahati station to Digaru station.
After a preliminary investigation found that a fault in the braking system could have caused the derailment of the Kolkata-Sairang Express in Assam on November 11, the Railway Board has directed all zonal railways to conduct a safety drive to inspect locomotive brakes.
The drive, which began on November 12, a day after the incident, will continue until November 18. During this period, brake power tests will be conducted on locomotives. The Railway Board has directed zonal railways to compile details of any discrepancies detected during the drive and submit them to its headquarters by November 20.
The incident took place on November 11 at around 6.54 am, when a locomotive and five coaches derailed at Digaru station, which is on the Guwahati-Lumding railway line. Following an on-site inspection the same day, a six-member committee of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) found that the FP/BP angle cock connected to the power car was in an isolated (closed) position.
The Feed Pipe (FP) and Brake Pipe (BP) carry compressed air from the locomotive to the last coach and apply brakes by regulating air pressure. "This may have been the reason for the accident, as the brakes may not have been applied when the FP/BP angle cock of the locomotive was in the isolated position.
Although the loco pilot applied the brakes, they may not have worked because the angle cock was already closed," the report stated. The Railway investigation covered the sequence of events over the train's 33-km journey from Guwahati station to Digaru station.
The report noted that as the train reached Thakurkuch station, the front wheel of the first coach behind the locomotive had become red hot and was emitting smoke. The probable reason for this was that the power car hand brake might not have been fully released.
The train was again stopped at Panbari station, seven kilometres later, to check the wheels. The assistant loco pilot and pointsman checked for brake binding and released the brakes. The train then started and, after travelling another seven kilometres, was supposed to stop on the loop line at Digaru station to give precedence to the Jorhat Town Jan Shatabdi Express.
However, it overshot the red stop signal and derailed. The report noted that the loco pilot and his assistant tried to apply different brakes, including the emergency and regenerative brakes, but the train could not be controlled.
The TMR (guard) also tried to apply the brakes from his vehicle, but they could not be applied. Mantu Bhowmick, the loco pilot of the train, said in his statement that he and his assistant tried all the available brakes to stop the train, but none of them worked.
Dheeraj Mishra is a Principal Correspondent with the Business Bureau of The Indian Express. He plays... Read More
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| Issuing Authority | The Indian Express National |
|---|---|
| Topic Category | STATES |
| Jurisdiction | All India / National |
| Publication Date | 14 November 2026 |