7 railway men suspended as coaches roll down track without engine

Seven railway men were suspended in connection with lapses that led to 22 coaches of an express train with passengers on board travelling a few kilometres without an engine in Odisha even as the Railway Board today order a safety drive across the rail network.

A possible disaster was averted after alert staff put stones on the track and brought the Ahmedabad-Puri Express to a halt late last night, an East Coast Railway (ECoR) spokesman said, adding all the passengers were safe.

A day after the incident, Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani ordered a month-long safety drive across the network.

The drive will be carried out jointly by operating and electrical departments, according to a statement issued by the Indian Railways in Delhi.

While five railway personnel were placed under suspension this morning, two had been suspended soon after the coaches of the train rolled down the track at Titlagarh in Balangir district after detachment of the engine, the ECoR spokesman said.

Two engine drivers, three carriage repairing staff and two operating department employees were placed under suspension, he said.

The coaches travelled from Titlagarh station towards Kesinga in Kalahandi district after the engine was detached to be attached at the other end, the spokesman said, adding the section from Titlagarh towards Kesinga has a downward slope.

The incident took place apparently due to non-application of skid brakes on the wheels of the coaches by the staff deployed there. According to rules, the staff should have put the skid brakes, he said.

"When an engine is detached to be attached at the other end, coaches should be secured with wheel skid brakes. In this case, it appears that skid brakes were not placed properly. Facts will be known after a detailed enquiry," he said.

Divisional Railway Manager, Sambalpur, Jaideep Gupta has ordered a probe by divisional heads of different departments, the spokesman said.

Soon after the incident, an engine was sent from Titlagarh to ferry the coaches back, he said.

ECoR General Manager Umesh Singh said immediate corrective measures will be initiated and strict action taken against those responsible for the incident.

"Strictest action will be initiated against any negligent act endangering safety of trains. Safety is non-negotiable and cannot be compromised. Strict action will be taken against any railway employee found guilty," Singh said.

Later, in a statement, the ECoR spokesman said, "We have decided to crack the whip and initiate strong action. While seven people have been suspended, more heads are likely to roll."
The spokesman said, "We want to cleanse the system of negligent and callous staff for whom the good work done by the railways is being neutralised."