'Driver was watching cricket on phone': Railway minister on Andhra Pradesh train collision
Times of India | 3 March 2024
NEW DELHI: The driver and the assistant driver of one of the two passenger trains that collided resulting in the death of 14 passengers on October 29, 2023, were found to be watching a cricket match on their phones, according to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The accident took place on the Howrah-Chennai line in Kantakapalli, Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh, when the Rayagada Passenger train struck the Visakhapatnam Palasa train from behind at 7 pm.More than 50 passengers were injured.
Vaishnaw cited this incident to discuss the safety measures being implemented by Indian Railways.
"The recent case in Andhra Pradesh happened because both the loco pilot and co-pilot were distracted by the cricket match which was going on. Now we are installing systems which can detect any such distraction and make sure that the pilots and the assistant pilots are fully focussed on running the train," Vaishnaw told PTI Videos.
He added, "We will continue to put our focus on safety. We try to find out the root cause of every incident and we come up with a solution so that it is not repeated."
Although the official report by the Commissioners of Railway Safety (CRS) is yet to be released, a preliminary investigation conducted by the railway authorities immediately after the accident found that the driver and assistant driver of the Rayagada Passenger train were at fault for the collision.
They had ignored two defective auto signals, violating safety regulations. Both crew members also lost their lives in the accident.