• Train crash in India

  • Discussion about railroad topics everywhere outside of Canada and the United States.
Discussion about railroad topics everywhere outside of Canada and the United States.

Moderators: Komachi, David Benton

  by ExCon90
 
If the trains were close enough together when the first train derailed, this would be a type of collision that cannot be prevented by any manner of technological improvement, PTC notwithstanding.
  by johnthefireman
 
India train accident: Modi vows punishments over deadly Odisha crash
It is still not clear what caused the multi-train collision in Balasore district, which has been described as India's worst rail accident this century. A full investigation has been launched, but a preliminary report indicates that the accident was the result of signal failure, said KS Anand, chief public relations officer of the South Eastern Railway... "The Coromandel Express was supposed to travel on the main line, but a signal was given for the loop line instead, and the train rammed into a goods train already parked over there," Mr Anand said. "Its coaches then fell on to the tracks on either side, also derailing the Howrah Superfast Express"...
  by David Benton
 
ExCon90 wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 9:25 pm If the trains were close enough together when the first train derailed, this would be a type of collision that cannot be prevented by any manner of technological improvement, PTC notwithstanding.
Its not clear what caused the derailment yet, but yes, very little you can do about a train derailing close to another train.
What probably can be changed is the crash worthiness of the carriages . The worst hit train appears to be stock similar to what was in use when i was there in the 90's.Pretty flimsy, and everyone brings heaps of luggage , and the proverbial kitchen sink , onboard.
  by Gilbert B Norman
 
Times News Analysis

Fair Use:
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Short solution: infrastructure before shiny new trains (appears that Amtrak best heed that advice as well).
  by Gilbert B Norman
 
This Times News Analysis article is very "telling". Shiny new trains do not necessarily make "shiny SAFE trains":

Fair Use:
In a country where major industry and political fortunes alike are often tied to a vast, interwoven rail system, India has lavished public resources on new trains, but its purse strings have been much tighter when it comes to ensuring the safety of those already racing along its tracks.

Those decisions loomed large on Sunday in the aftermath of a devastating train wreck that killed at least 275 people in eastern India. Investigators said they were focused on the possibility that signal failure might have led to the three-train crash on Friday, the worst rail wreck in the country in years.
Short solution: infrastructure before shiny new trains (appears that Amtrak best heed that advice as well).
  by Jeff Smith
 
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets ... li=BBnb7Kz
India Funds New Trains Ahead of Safety Improvements, Analysts Say

NEW DELHI — In a country where major industry and political fortunes alike are often tied to a vast, interwoven rail system, India has lavished public resources on new trains, but its purse strings have been much tighter when it comes to ensuring the safety of those already racing along its tracks.

Those decisions loomed large on Sunday in the aftermath of a devastating train wreck that killed at least 275 people in eastern India. Investigators said they were focused on the possibility that signal failure might have led to the three-train crash on Friday, the worst rail wreck in the country in years.

The crash, which also injured more than 1,100 people, occurred when a passenger train heading south about 80 miles per hour toward the city of Chennai veered onto the wrong track and hit a parked freight train, the authorities say. The first train’s derailed cars then plowed into a second passenger train that was heading toward it, leaving a scene of carnage.
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