Post by CuriousJM on Jun 5, 2023 17:09:36 GMT
On June 2, 2023, there was a major train accident at the small Bahanaga Bazar railway station near the town of Balasore, Odisha, India. The accident resulted in the deaths of 275 people and 1,175 injuries. As per Wikipedia, it was the third-deadliest accident in India. While in most train accidents, one or two trains are involved, this was a rare accident in which there was a pileup of three trains.
The sequence of events as gathered from the news and other sources:
6:52 PM
The two fast trains approaching the station from two different directions are given a green signal to pass through the station.
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The 12841 Coromandel Express on the Down Line heading to Chennai from Howrah.
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The 12864 Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express on the Up Line coming from the other direction and going to Howrah.
Under normal circumstances, both trains would have crossed each other at high speed on the two main tracks.
6:55 PM
Instead of coming to the main line, the 12841 Coromandel Express, travelling at about 130 km/h, somehow went to the loop line and had a head-on collision with a stationary goods (freight) train which was parked on the loop line. The goods train was loaded with iron ore, and due to its weight, it didn't budge. The entire brunt of the crash was taken by the Coromandel Express, whose engine climbed the rear of the goods train, and 22 of its coaches derailed.
Few seconds past 6:55 PM
The 12864 Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, coming from the other direction and going to Howrah, also passed through the station at full speed within seconds of the first crash. It had almost moved away from the area, but few of the derailed coaches of the Coromandel Express veered into the parallel track, ramming its last 2-3 coaches, which also derailed.
The authorities are investigating what caused the Coromandel Express to go on the loop line. Whether it was a signalling or switching equipment failure or some human error. The second crash involving the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express was a quirk of fate. If the train had been moving a bit faster, its last three coaches would have also passed the crash site unscathed.
I am giving below a sketch diagram which I have prepared to show the events of the crash.
Google Maps. The imagery is not clear and doesn't show the 4 lines clearly.
More information: Wikipedia
