Probe begins into Tamil Nadu train crash, Railways plans collision avoidance

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Indian Railways are working on a system to prevent train accidents like the one near Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday night, which killed 10 and injured 86, said Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters at Arakonam in Vellore district, Trivedi said: "A system is being worked out to ensure these incidents do not happen."

He did not elaborate.

Preliminary findings indicated the EMU coach operator should have stopped at the signal, instead, data showed, the driver increased the speed, Trivedi told reporters after visiting the mishap site and the injured in hospitals.

Trivedi, who was earlier briefed by Southern Railway General Manager Deepak Krishan on details of the mishap, also informed that doctors said the driver is out of danger. "It is too early to blame anybody," he added.

He said a breathalyser test was also done on the driver and it was ascertained that he was not under the influence of alcohol.

The Chennai Beach-Vellore Cantonment mainline electrical multiple unit (EMU) train rammed into the Arakkonam-Katpadi passenger train, waiting for a signal near the Chitheri station, around 9.30 p.m. on Tuesday. Five coaches of the stationary train and three of the EMU were derailed near Arakkonam, about 85 km from Chennai.

EMU driver Rajkumar had operated the train after a 16-hour layover, Trivedi said. Rajkumar jumped out of the driver's cabin just before the accident, another official said.

The driver is now undergoing treatment in Chennai for injuries sustained after he jumped out of the running train.

The railways have invited information from people who might know about the accident and desire to give evidence. They can contact the Southern Railway office, Chennai division, or fax the information to 080-22260650.

Following the accident, the Southern Railway Wednesday cancelled 11 trains and rescheduled seven from here following the accident. Special counters were set up to refund the fare to ticket holders of the cancelled trains.

Rescue work at the accident spot progressed at a good pace on Wednesday as the sun shone bright. On Tuesday, the absence of light coupled with heavy rains hindered the relief work.

By Wednesday afternoon, the rescue teams cleared the mangled steel from the tracks and trains were allowed to pass through the spot to Chennai.

Janakiraman, a survivor who was brought to a hospital in Chennai, recalled the collision and said he heard a huge noise. After sometime, he jumped out of a window of the coach he was travelling in.

A similar tale was narrated by Sundar, another survivor.

"I somehow came out of a window and helped two others to come out," he said.