Serious Safety Lapse: Vande Bharat Train Operated 463 km Without Functional Brakes

Major Oversight in Indian Railways

New Delhi: A significant safety oversight has come to light within Indian Railways. Last month, a Vande Bharat train was operated for approximately 463 kilometers despite its coaches' brakes being non-functional. The repeated warnings from the locomotive pilots were disregarded. In response, the South Eastern Railway (SER) has initiated an investigation into the incident.

Incident Details

On October 24, a vacant Vande Bharat chair car rake was being towed by a freight train engine from Hatia in Jharkhand to Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh. According to regulations, the braking system of the Vande Bharat coaches should have been properly connected to that of the freight engine. However, this was not the case.

Railway staff had isolated the braking systems of all the coaches, resulting in a complete lack of braking capability. The train was solely relying on the engine's brakes and the regenerative braking system.

Warnings Ignored

After departing from Hatia, the locomotive pilot conducted a brake power test and discovered that the braking capacity was alarmingly weak and ineffective. Upon reaching Ranchi, they submitted a written complaint, but the authorities allowed the train to continue its journey. Despite repeated notifications from two locomotive pilots regarding the issue, no substantial action was taken.

The train completed its journey of nearly 463 kilometers and arrived at the Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) station in Uttar Pradesh. An inspection revealed that the braking systems of all coaches had been disconnected.

Investigation Launched

On November 7, the South Eastern Railway directed the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Ranchi to conduct a thorough investigation. The railway has emphasized that operating a train without adequate braking power constitutes a serious safety violation, which could have led to a major accident and jeopardized the safety of other passenger trains.

Initial findings indicate negligence on the part of the maintenance staff, section and traction controllers, as well as the train crew. The maintenance team failed to conduct a physical inspection of the brakes, and the crew lacked comprehensive knowledge of the Vande Bharat braking system.

This incident occurred just days before a derailment involving the Kolkata-Sairang Express in Assam on November 11, which also faced allegations of brake-related negligence.

The railway authorities are now planning to take action against the responsible personnel and implement measures to prevent such occurrences in the future.