Visakhapatnam: The collision between the Vizag-Rayagada line and the Vizag-Palasa line, which resulted in the deaths of 14 people due to the former ignoring a traffic signal, occurred when the locomotive driver and his assistant were involved in a cricket match over the phone. The Railway Minister announced that the cause of the accident was that he was distracted. Ashwini Vaishnau said.
A committee headed by Secunderabad's South Central Circle Railway Safety Commissioner Pranjiev Saxena conducted an investigation into the collision between two passenger trains, but the details have not yet been made public.
The accident, which occurred between Kantakapalle and Allamanda in Vizianagaram district on October 29, 2023, killed both the pilots and injured 50 others. It was revealed that both the trains collided on the Howrah-Chennai line.
Speaking on new railway safety measures in New Delhi on Sunday, he referred to the incident in Andhra Pradesh and said new security features will ensure such incidents are checked.
“We now have systems in place to detect such distractions and allow pilots and assistant pilots to fully concentrate on operating the train,” he said.
Mr. Vaishno emphasized that the safety of passengers is the first priority and Indian Railways is committed to identifying the core causes of every accident and taking measures to check such instances. He said he would try to find out.
A preliminary railway investigation conducted a day after the accident held the pilot and his assistant responsible for the Rayagada train overshooting two signals.
