The Sealdah-Ajmer Express derailed near Kanpur on Wednesday despite an ultrasonic inspection of the busy track just 20 days ago, senior Railway Ministry officials said here. “The ultrasonic flaw detection [USFD] test on this rail section took place on December 9 and no fault was detected,” a senior official said.
The system uses ultrasonic waves to detect rail and weld cracks. This inspection is done on a monthly basis and after Patna-bound Indore-Rajendranagar Express went off the tracks near Pukhrayan in U.P., killing more than 145 persons in November, the Railway Board had recently decided to increase its frequency to make it a bi-weekly exercise.
Railway Board officials on Thursday didn’t rule out the possibility of a rail fracture behind the derailment of Sealdah-Ajmer Express.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Thursday requested experts from Japan and Korea to visit India and find a technological solution to detect safety flaws beyond than the present USFD system. The Railway Technological Research Institute of Japan and Korean Rail Research Institute had signed an agreement with Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) for cooperation in the field of railway safety.
The Railway Minister has requested former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai to form a task force which will help in revamping the safety organisation structure of the Indian Railways and suggest the required systematic improvements.
Meanwhile, a task force of railway officers formed earlier this month to recommend measures to improve the safety performance of the Indian Railways submitted its report to the Railway Board on Thursday.
The task force noted that track fittings were “missing on a large scale” and asked the Railways to take stock of situation immediately. It asked the Railways to go on a ‘Zero-Missing Fittings’ and ensure compliance in six months “on a war footing.” The task force further recommended special allowance of 30 per cent to keyman who manually inspect railway tracks in a bid to fill up these posts.
It asked the Railways not to operate trains with expired brake power certificate. It further said that 20-30 per cent of the walkie-talkies used by railway staff are out of order and should be repaired immediately. The task force called for computerised inspection reports in simplified formats along with weekly meetings of general managers to discuss safety issues.
Mr. Prabhu has directed all railway installations, including tracks, coaches and signals, to be inspected over the next one week to identify and rectify the shortcomings. Further, all Mail or Express trains will have at least one officer or senior subordinate travelling during night hours on locomotives for comprehensive inspection over the next 10 days, the Railway Ministry said in a statement.
Mr. Prabhu warned the general managers of the zonal railways “to be ready for consequences for any lapse” and said they need to “live up to the expectations,” the statement added.
The Ajmer-Sealdah Express got derailed near Kanpur on Wednesday causing injuries to over 60 passengers.
