Railway Accident Investigation Report. On
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GOVERNMENT oF 11'\DlA Ml1'\ISTR\' OF TOURIS:\1 A."'D CIVil. AVIATION (CO:\ll\1ISSION OF RAILWAY SAFETY) RAILWAY ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORT. ON HEAD-ON COLLISION OF No. 21 DOWN HYDERABAD·HAZRAT NIZAMUDDIN EXPRESS WITH AGRA-ITARSI GOODS TRAIN NEAR THE MARSHALLING CABIN AT AGRA CANTf. STATION ON THE CENTRAL RAILWAY'S JHANSI DIVISION AT ABOUT 04-12 HOURS ON 27-1-1982 SUMMARY I. Dato 27th January, 1982. 2. Time 04-12 hours. 3. Railway Central. 4. Gauge 1676 mm (Broad Gauge) s. Location Ncu tho Marshalling Cabin at Agra Cantt. Station. 6. Nature of Accident Hcad.on collision. 7. Trains involved (i) 21 Dn : Hyderabad-Hazrat Nizamuddin Dakshin Express. (ii) AE Spl. : Goods Train. B. Consisting of (i) 21 D;J : 14 coaches hauled by a \VDM2 Diesel Eleztric Locomo. tive. (ii) AE Sp!. : 68 wagons hauled by a WDM2 Diesel Ele:tric Locomotive. 9. Estimated speed at the moment of impact (i) 21 Dn. : Upwards or 70 Km/h. (ii) AE Spl. : Stationary. 10. System of operation Absolute Block System. II. No. of tracks Double Track Main Line (with entry/exit to the Goods yard located by the side of the Dn Main Line). 12. Gradient Level. 13. Alignment Straight. 14. Weather Foggy. IS. Visibility Restricted, but not to the extent that necessitated Fog-SignaUing. 16. Casualties Killed - 64 Injured - 26 (13 grievous and 13 simple). 17. Cost of damage Rs. 75.60 lacs. 18. Cause Due to 21 On's Driver passing several Approach Signals, all at Danger. 19. Responsibility (a) Primary : Shri Budhoo Lal, 21 On's Driver (deceased). (b) Secondary : Shri Radhey Lal, 21 On's Dies"') Asstt. (deceased). (c) Cofllributory : Shri Jag Lal Dhusia, 21 On's Guard. 20• Summary of Important Recommendations :- (i) Re-introduction of tho Vigilance Control Devico on Diesoi-Eioctric locomotives (ii) Enforcement of cautious driving of trains during foggy weather : (iii) Rules for Train working in foggy weather to be reviewed : (iv) Certain safer operating practices suggested for observance during foggy weather (v) The formulation of Disaster-Prevention strategies for Olbin-lev"l implementation advocated; (vi) Certain measures indicated for curbing over-speeding : (vii) Safety Marshalling Instructions to be reviewed, having regard to basic requirements of passenger safety and also tho existing constraints ;innd (viii) Improved eJ~tamination of goods trains at Originating stations. (i) 1-15"1 CRS/Luck/90 Con{idemial No. C-10(1NQ)/53 GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION (Commission of Railway safety)' FROM: (b) Accompanied by the Railway's General Manager, the Chief Tra~SJ:~~tion Safety The Commissioner of Railway Safety, Superintendent, the Chief M ical Engineer, c,ntral Circle, the Chief Operating Superintendent and the Divi Cil~rchg1tc St.>tion Building Annexe, sional Railway Manager of Jhansi, I inspected 2nd Floor, Maharshi Karvc Road, the accident site as well as the wrackage and the Cabins concerned. A visil;>ility test was car- Bombay-400 020. ried out during the early morning hours of the TO: 29-1-1982 at the same time as the accident but The Secretary to the Government of India, approximately 48 hrs. aftor it, in the company of the Sr. Divisional Mechanical Engineer Ministry of Civil Aviation, (Power) and the Sr. Divisional S&T Engineer Sardar Patel Bhavan, of Jhansi Division. Parliament Street, New Delhi-110 001. (c) Whereas the Inquiry was commenced Thro11gh: straightaway on 28th itself with the recording of evidence of railway officials on dtlty at The Chief Commis.ioner of Railway Safety, various positions at Agra Cantt., a Press Noti Lllcknow-226 001. fication was got issued, inviting members of the public having any knowledge relating to this SIR, accident .to give evidence at the Inquiry on the I have the honour to submit, in accordance next day i.e., 29-1-1982, or to otherwise com with Rule 4 of the "Statutory Investigation into municate with me by post. The District Magis Railway Accidents Rules. 1973", issued by trate as well as the Superintendents of both the then Ministry of Tourism and Civil Avia the Government Railway Police and the Rail tion under their Notification No. RS. 13-T(S)/ way Protection Force. all headquartered at 71, dated 19-4-1973, the Report of my Sta Agra, were also suitably notified, but no Civil tutory Inquiry into the Head on Collision of or Police Officials called at any stage of the No. 21 On. Hyderabad-Hazrat Nizamuddin Inquiry at which the following Railway Offi Express also popularly known as the 'Daksilin' cers were present:- Express with the stationary Agra-ltarsi Spe Shri S. P. Agarwala - Divisional Railway cial Goods Train near the Marshalling Cabin Safety Superintendent, Bombay. at Agra Cant!. Railway Station of Central Rail . way's Jhansi Division at about 04.12 hrs. on Shri S. P. Agarwala . Divisional Railway 27-1-1982. Manager, Jhansi. 2. Inspection and Inquiry- (d) Shri Vishwa Prakash, Dy. Commis (a) Although I endeavoured to reach the sioner of Railway Safety (S&T) from the Com accident site by the earliest possible means by mission's Technical Wing at Lucknow inopect Hying to Delhi, the Hight itself had been very ed Agra Cantt. 'A' Cabin on 29-1-1982 and badly held up on account of Delhi Airport get rcpor,cd on its functioning. which was alsO ting closed, firstly due to fog and thereafter due subsequently inspected at greater length by to other reasons. In the event, I arrived Agra me in the company of Shri T. J anardhana Rao, Cantt. at 00.40 hrs. on 28-1-1982, by which Dy. Commissioner of Railway Safety (SilT), time the double-line non-electrified BG track Bombay. Because certain key witnesses. who to the South of Agra Cantt. was already re had reported sick, could not be produced, the stored for traffic, the necessary permission Inquiry could be recommenced at A~ra only having already been obtained from me in res on 12-2-1982 for 2 days and thea connnued at pect of clearing the tracks after recording all Jhansi on 14-2-82. In the meantime, evi the requisite measurements relating to the dis dence relating to the orientation of the rear position of as well as tbe damage to the roll SLR of 51 Dn Link Express, which bad left mg stock, track, etc. Southern Railway's Madras Central Station on j 2 25-1-82 and which Wl!S later on to become the entered the track leading to the Goods Yard first vehicle in rear of the engine on the ill to crash head on into a by now stationary AE fated 21 Dn 'Dakshin' Express was recorded Spl. at Madras on 1-2-82 and 2-2-82. (c) The severity of the collision was such (e) Arising from these inspections, sketches that the tricomposite Second-Luggage-Cum were got prepared of the Aecident site and its Brake-Van (hereinafter referred to simply as environs, besides other diagrams, a reference the ill-fated SLR), which happened to have to which would help in gaining an apprecia been marshalled immediately in rear of the TE tion of how the train-<:<>nsist varied from Mad (train engine) on 21 o,, was simply pierced ras and Hyderabad. These are appended as through by the Diesel locomoti-.-e"s trailing Annexures l(a) to (e). long-hood, the rear end of which had also· buc ked up by I. I m. in this proces. The next two (f) Evidence was recorded of 59 witnesses coaches had veered to the right, capsizing anti in all, while written communications were re clockwise; the second (a First Class Coach) ceived on b"half of the Post Master General landed on its side str~ddlins both the lines of of Uttar Pradesh Circle, besides the ABSKS the double-track non-electnficd Main Line, (Akhil Bharatiya Shoshit Karamchari Sangh), whilst the third (a Second Class 3-Tier Sleeper the A1RMS (All India Railway Mail Service) r.oach) filled precariously but blocking only Employees' Union and a private person. No the On. Main Line. Futthcr in rear on 21 Do., pnblic witness nor any passenger from the ill seven more coaches had derailed, whereas the rated 21 Dn "Dakshin' Express came forward rearmost four coaches remained intact on 1 to appear at this Inquiry. track. (g) Having visited the hospital attached to (d) As regards A£ Sol., which was pushea the Sarojini Naidu Memorial Medical College back by hardly 15m as a result of the impact, at Agra en the 28th_ in the company of _the it• Diesel loco (which was also in a short-hood Railway's General Manager and again on the leading orientation) was so firmly rammed face 29th, in the company of Jhansi Division's to-face with the colliding loco of 21 On. that Medical Superintendent, I was fully satisfied it gave rise to an illusi.Jn, 'prima facie~, that with the medical attention and care that was both the locomotives were actually one engine. being bestowed on the patients admitted there. The two wagons immediately behind the TE The Military Hospital, where three passengers jack-knifed upwards together and rotated by including two Army personnel were admitted, about 120° so that they formed a 'V' •hape was not visited. with their undergear inside the ·v· and the (h) In this Report, unless otherwise apparent badly damaged roofs outside. While the third from the context, the terms .. right" /"'left", wagon got badly crusl)ed under the roof of the ··tcading'1 /"trailing"', "'front,. / .. rear", etc. arc second wagon, the next two {i.e.