Serious train accident in India: Cause apparently faults in the electronic signalling system

The collision of two passenger trains in India with around 300 deaths is due to a fault in the electronic signaling system of the route, according to initial information from investigators. It remains unclear whether the error in the program was intentionally caused. The investigation is ongoing.

Investigations into the course of events and the cause of the serious train accident on Friday (02.05.2023) in India, in which almost 300 people died according to the current status, are ongoing. Initial findings of the investigators indicate that an error in the electronic control of the signals triggered the disaster.

India's Minister of Rail Transport, Ashwini Vaishnaw, referred to the signalling system as the cause of the accident on Sunday, according to the ANI news agency, without giving details.

"We have identified the cause of the accident and the people responsible,

said the minister on the state of the investigation. The minister did not provide any information on whether the misalignment of the signal was due to sabotage.

Railway officials said that the Coromandel Express from Kolkata to Chennai with around 1,500 passengers on board hit the wrong track at around 19:00 local time in the state of Odisha and collided with another passenger train, the Howrah Superfast Express.

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