Railway officials explain why Kavach would not have prevented the Odisha train accident

Even if Kavach was active on the route, the Coromandel three-train tragedy could not have been avoided, Rail Board Member Jaya Varma Sinha said.

"If an obstruction comes suddenly in front of a high-moving vehicle, then no technology in the world would prevent an accident," Jaya Varma Sinha, Member of Operation and Business Development, Railway Board, said in a press conference today.

Some kind of interference was there, whether it was manual, weather-related, or anything else would be revealed by a full probe, Jaya Varma added underlining that there is possibility of equipment failure in all electronics systems.



"According to the preliminary findings, there was some issue with the signalling. We are still waiting for the detailed report from the Commissioner of Railway Safety," she said.

However, the Railway official said that only after a full investigation by the railway safety commission would it be revealed what went wrong that led to the accident. She also dismissed speculation that the trains were overspending at the time.

In the high number of casualties, she said: "The goods train did not get derailed. Since the goods train was carrying iron ores, the maximum damage of the impact was on Coromandel Express. This is the reason for a huge number of deaths and injuries. The derailed bogies of Coromandel Express came on the down line, and hit the last two bogies of Yashwantpur Express which was crossing at the speed of 126 km/h from down line."

Earlier today, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also said that the failure of the interlocking mechanism led to the accident.

"The change that occurred during electronic interlocking caused the accident. Whoever did it and how it happened will be found out after a proper investigation," Vaihsnaw told ANI.

Explaining the interlocking mechanism, Railways Board official Sandip Mathur said that the interlocking mechanism shows whether the loop line is clear or occupied.

He said that the mechanism could be electronic or non-electronic, and that the accident site was equipped with the electronic mechanism.

Focus on Relief & Rescue
Jaya Varma Sinha said said that the Railways first focused on relief and rescue work after the accident.

"Railways first did relief and rescue work after the accident and after that repair work is being done. There are four lines at Bahanaga station. It has two main lines. There was a goods train on the loop line. The driver had received the green signal at the station. Both vehicles were running at full speed," she said.

The official further said that the helpline number has been made available for the family members of the injured or deceased.

"Our helpline number 139 is available. This is not a call centre number, our senior officers are answering the calls and we are trying to connect as many people as possible. The family members of the injured or deceased can call us and we will make sure that they are able to meet them. We will take care of their journey and other expenses," said Jaya Varma Sinha.

She also said that the Railways will take care of the injured persons, including their journey and food.

She informed mediapersons that the Railways has already distributed Rs 3.5 crore ex-gratia amount which includes Rs 50,000 for minor injuries, Rs 2 lakh for serious injuries and Rs 10 lakh for those who died in the accident.