What Went Wrong? Inside the Kolkata-Sairang Express Derailment Incident
Details of the Train Derailment
New Delhi: A video circulating online allegedly shows the moments leading up to the derailment of the Kolkata-Sairang Express at Digaru Railway Station, located near Guwahati in Assam. The footage indicates that both the loco pilot and the assistant made attempts to apply the brakes but were unsuccessful in stopping the train.
The authenticity of this video has not been confirmed, and there has been no official comment from the Northeast Frontier Railway regarding the incident.
Following the derailment, the Northeast Frontier Railway reported that the loco pilot lost control of the train, which led to the accident.
In the footage, recorded shortly after the brakes were engaged, a crew member can be heard stating that all braking systems, including the emergency brake, were activated, yet the train continued to move.
The loco pilot is heard expressing concern, saying, 'Dekhiye BP kam nahi ho raha hai' (See, the BP pressure is not dropping), indicating that the Brake Pipe (BP) pressure was not decreasing, which is essential for effective braking.
Live accident Video… loco pilot’s record incident.
#AssamTrainAccident #Assam #sairangexpress https://t.co/Ll7X03OebU— KK (@IVKT_1) November 11, 2026
He further mentioned that he had engaged all available braking systems in the locomotive, including the emergency brake and the A-9 brake, but none seemed to function, hinting at a potential malfunction.
'Kuch bhi kaam nahi kar raha hai' (Nothing is working), he stated.
The video concludes with the train colliding with a dead end and coming to a sudden stop.
Experienced loco pilots who reviewed the footage noted that the crew's claim about the BP pressure not dropping after the emergency brake was applied was inaccurate, as the BP gauge indicated that the pressure had already decreased to nearly zero.
'The crew may have panicked and made an incorrect statement. However, it is evident that even with the BP pressure at zero, the train did not halt. Observing the speedometer in the video, the train's speed remained around 40, occasionally exceeding that during the 45-second clip. The train only stopped after it passed a red signal, collided with a dead end, and subsequently derailed,' explained a senior loco pilot.
He added, 'This indicates possible malfunctions in the braking system, which prevented the train from stopping and led to the derailment. There have been previous instances of brake failures in trains that resulted in signal overshooting and accidents.'
Officials have stated that a comprehensive investigation is necessary to determine if there were any issues with the train's braking system.