TN train accident: What led to the collision near Chennai

A senior railway safety official conducted a statutory inspection at the site of the Kavaraipettai rail accident on Saturday (October 12), according to railway authorities.

Assisted by senior officials of Southern Railway, Commissioner of Railway Safety, Southern Circle, Bengaluru, A M Chowdhary initiated a thorough inspection of the track, points and blocks, signals, station electronic interlocking systems, control panels and other important safety, signal and operational aspects, Chief Public Relations Officer, Southern Railway, M Senthamil Selvan, said in a release.

Also Read: Kavarapettai accident: Passengers leave for Darbhanga by special train 1 min read

The Train No 12578 Mysuru - Darbhanga Bagmati Express collided with a stationary goods train at Kavaraipettai near here around 8.30 pm on October 11 and the passengers were transported by buses to Ponneri and then to Chennai Central by two EMU specials, the railway said.

How it happened

RN Singh, General Manager of Southern Railways, explained that the Mysuru-Darbhanga Express was not scheduled to stop at Kavaraippettai and was meant to pass through the station. After departing from Chennai, the train's signals were correctly followed by the driver. However, instead of remaining on the main line, the train mistakenly switched to the loop line, leading to a collision with a stationary goods train.

"As the train approached Kavarapettai station, the crew felt a strong jolt. Although the signal directed it to the main line, the train, moving at 75 kmph, entered the loop line and crashed into the goods train from behind," said another official.

Also Read: Train accident in Tamil Nadu's Kavarapettai: 19 injured

Meanwhile, over 1,800 passengers of the accident-hit train left for Darbhanga by a special train earlier in the day from Central Railway station.

(With agency inputs)