After Odisha tragedy, Railways to secure signalling equipment with double locks

Senior officials were told to inspect and ensure compliance to the existing double-locking arrangement of relay rooms, a sensitive installation that controls the signals, points and interlocking system

Days after the devastating train accident which claimed the lives of 275 passengers and left over 900 injured in Odisha, the Indian Railways has decided to secure the goomties housing signalling equipment on railway station premises with a ‘double-lock’ arrangement.

Goomty is a small cabin or small structure covering lever frame and other fixed equipment, at level-crossings and near railway stations.   

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In a circular to General Managers of all Zonal Railways issued on Monday, Tej Prakash Agrawal, Executive Director, Safety, Railway Board, directed that a month-long safety drive be launched to ensure goomties located within the railway station limits are provided with double locks.

Senior officials were told to inspect and ensure compliance to the existing double-locking arrangement of relay rooms, a sensitive installation that controls the signals, points and interlocking system, in the railway station where the Station Master would have one key and the Signal Maintainer the other. They were also told to ensure that SMS alert is generated on opening/closure of relay rooms.

The dual-lock access control is to ensure standard safety guidelines while accessing signalling equipment are followed. Officials were told to check whether the norms and guidelines in the process of disconnection and reconnection of signal and telecommunication equipment were being scrupulously followed by the station staff.

The instructions to secure the signalling equipment come at a time when a signalling failure is suspected to be the reason why the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express entered the loop line while its signal was cleared for passage on the down main line at the Bahanaga Bazar station. The Superfast Express collided with a stationary goods train in the loop line. Some coaches fell on the adjacent up main line causing the derailment of the Yeshwatpur-Howrah Express which entered the station at the same time.