New Delhi: In an attempt to ensure safety of the signaling equipment, the Railway Board on Saturday ordered a double locking system for all signaling assets and protocols to start sounding of trains after maintenance work.
The series of directives for railway zones is the third such order that has been issued after over 280 passengers were killed in the horrific triple train accident in Odisha's Balasore district on June 2.
The Railway Board ordered double locking arrangement for all relay rooms having the train's operational machinery and relay huts housing signaling and level-crossing telecommunications equipment along with point and track circuit signals. The board's directive stated that the 'access to the relay room' led to 'interference with the signaling system' following which the ill-fated Coromandel Express went into a loop line at Balasore and collided with a stationary goods train.
Senior officials of the railways said there was enough evidence to substantiate that the interlocking system had been tampered with. So, the technique has now been made 'tamper-proof', officials added. "This double locking mechanism will ensure that no one has access to these locations without permission," an official said.
The directive further said that level crossing gates, signaling rooms and telecommunications equipment in the station yard should be treated as relay huts. It said that till the double locking arrangement is made, the current single-lock key will remain with the station master.
Infact, the station master will maintain relevant entries regarding issue and deposit of keys. The order stated that the proforma for handing over or taking back of the key by the assistant station manager on duty shall have a column specifying that the premises for which the key was taken by the maintenance staff has been properly locked by the maintenance staff who returned the key.
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Officials said preliminary investigations have revealed that some work was going on near the accident site. A disconnection memo to close the interlocking system and start work along with a reconnection memo indicating the end of work was received by the station manager, officials added. They said that the technician bypassed the system as work was not completed. He seems to have tampered with the location box to get the green signal for the Coromandel Express, officials mentioned.
Also, the Railway Board has issued disconnection-reconnection protocols that are to be followed for signal maintenance, repair and alteration work.
