Jalgaon train tragedy
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People gather after a train mishap, in Maharashtra's Jalgaon district, on Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025. Image: PTI

'No smoke, no fire' | What then triggered Jalgaon train tragedy?

Railways deny any shortcomings on their part, say local police will probe the events; why not an investigation by Commission of Railway Safety, ask experts


The tragedy that struck over a dozen passengers on the Mumbai-bound Pushpak Express on Wednesday (January 22) evening is among the strangest in recent years.

In a chain of events, some passengers on the Mumbai-bound Pushpak Express jumped off a general coach as an unidentified person raised an alarm about a fire. Then, they gathered on an adjacent pair of tracks, where they got mowed down by the Karnataka Express that was coming down those tracks.

The Indian Railways is trying to locate the person* (a tea-seller has been identified later) who raised the false alarm about a fire onboard the Pushpak Express. From 12 yesterday, the death toll rose to 13 this morning. At least 11 other passengers are injured.

Questions on probe

Stranger than the tragedy itself is the subsequent response of the Railways. The authorities have ruled out any failure on their part.

A spokesperson for Central Railways told The Federal that “there was no anomaly or failure on the part of the Railways”. The spokesperson categorically denied any fire on the Pushpak Express and said there was no smoke either.

The local police, with information provided by the Railways, will conduct a probe, said the spokesperson.

Experts are now asking to know why the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) is not conducting a thorough probe into the tragedy.

And the big question remains — why would passengers jump out of a train unless they noticed or suspected a fire?

Also read: Maharashtra train accident | Track curvature affected visibility; toll now 13

What happened on Jan 22

Tragedy struck when some passengers of the Pushpak Express jumped off a general coach due to a suspected fire on the train. There were 22 coaches in the train, of which only four were non-AC general coaches. The panic about an alleged fire spread in one of those coaches.

No passenger jumped off any other coach and as yet, there is no explanation about what triggered the panic.

Some reports have suggested that passengers saw smoke and assumed there was a fire but the spokesperson said there was no smoke either emanating from Pushpak Express.

The passengers who jumped out gathered on a parallel track where the Delhi-bound Karnataka Express was coming at full speed. Due to the curvature of the tracks, neither could the standing passengers sense the train speeding in their direction, nor could the loco pilot of the Karnataka Express slam the brakes fast enough.

Also read | No funds vs no land: Karnataka-Centre feud over limping railway projects

Smoke and odour

Questions are being raised over the Railways’ assertion that no full scale enquiry will be done.

Alok Kumar Verma, a retired chief engineer with the Railways, wondered why passengers would jump off a train unless they actually saw a fire, or at least suspected it and were alarmed.

“Was there a jamming of brakes, as some media reports have suggested? If brakes get locked and jam against the wheels, there will be smoke and the odour of rubber burning. Flames could also emerge,” Verma told The Federal.

Passenger safety

He also pointed to the CRS's mandate to conduct a detailed enquiry into any train accident which “involves even one fatality".

"The CRS does not need any order from the Railway Board to conduct an enquiry. It is a watchdog for passenger safety, a statutory authority under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, and can initiate a probe even based on media reports. Since there have been fatalities in this accident, a thorough probe should be conducted by the CRS," he added.

Another Railways veteran wanted to know why the railway staff — guard and others — did not warn passengers about the parallel track being a live one. The passengers may have been unaware of the second track being functional, the veteran said.

Sensitising passengers

The Central Railways spokesperson said efforts are on to identify who raised the alarm over a fire.

“The alarm led to panic and probably someone else pulled the chain, which led to the train being stopped. People then began disembarking from the train but there was a curvature on the tracks so they were unable to see the incoming Karnataka Express," the spokesperson said.

Also read | Railway accident report card: Why Modi govt's claims are off-track

"The loco pilot of this incoming train also applied brakes but was unable to stop the train in time. The train was at 110 kmph and this speed requires at least 600-800 metres to bring it to a complete halt."

Fatal decision

The passengers’ decision to occupy the railway tracks close by was a fatal one. The spokesperson said the Railways have been running multiple campaigns, asking passengers to not pull the chain to stop trains and avoid occupying tracks.

“Deboarding a train and occupying other tracks can affect lives. Even if your train has stopped for any reason, do not deboard the train or occupy an adjacent track. We will now launch a national drive to educate passengers about the dangers of occupying railway tracks,” the spokesperson said.

The Railways have announced an ex-gratia of Rs 1.5 lakh each for the kin of the dead, Rs 50,000 each for the grievously injured and Rs 5,000 each for passengers with minor injuries.

(This copy has been updated with Maharashtra Deputy CM's statement)


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