MADURAI
Southern Railway General Manager Rahul Jain has fixed responsibility on Chief Controller Muruganandam and Tirumangalam Station Master (SM) Jayakumar for setting two trains on a collision course between Tirumangalam and Kalligudi stations on May 9. Both the trains were stopped some nine km apart following frantic efforts by railway officials.
A high-level inquiry conducted by a team, led by Principal Chief Safety Officer R.K. Mehta, found that following a block instrument failure between the two stations, Madurai-bound Shencottah passenger was stopped at Kalligudi and another passenger train, proceeding towards Shencottah, was stopped at Tirumangalam.
Meanwhile, the railway controller gave precedence to a few express trains to cross the section by detaining the passenger trains.
Meanwhile, Kalligudi SM Beemsingh Meena, on instruction from Mr. Muruganandam, allowed his train towards Tirumangalam using line clear ticket (a written order for allowing trains during signal failure) after getting consent in the form of exchange of private numbers with Mr. Jayakumar.
Meanwhile, passengers of the Shencottah-bound train started agitating at Tirumangalam for prolonged detention of the train. Mr. Jayakumar sought clearance from Mr. Muruganandam to start the train on priority. Mr. Muruganandam asked Mr. Jayakumar to proceed with his plan if the other train from the opposite direction on the single track had not been allowed.
However, Mr. Jayakumar had given line clear ticket without the mandatory consultation with Mr. Meena.
Only after the train started moving, did the SMs and the Controller realised the mistake of allowing two trains to run in the opposite direction on the same track and acted swiftly to stop them. While the Shencottah-bound train was stopped at Tirumangalam, Mr. Meena stopped the other train midway with the help of a gatekeeper at Sivarakottai.
The enquiry team has blamed Mr. Jayakumar for having allowed to run a train with an “invalid” line clear ticket (without exchanging private number with the other SM) and also without having cancelled the line clear ticket previously approved by both SMs.
Mr. Muruganandam has been blamed for having allowed the train from Tirumangalam forgetting that he himself had asked Mr. Meena to run the other train in opposite direction.
Sivarakottai gatekeeper T. Selvam has been found guilty of tampering with records on exchange of private numbers with Mr. Jayakumar.
The GM has asked railway officials to provide an advanced single section digital axle counters over the entire zone to ensure that block sections are free of any trains or goods before signals are given for movement of other trains.
Mr. Jain has also instructed them to identify vulnerable railway stations where agitations of passengers are likely and fix cameras. Railway Protection Force has been asked to register cases against agitators.