A viral video, purportedly recorded inside the engine cab of the Kolkata-Sairang Express moments before its derailment at Digaru Railway Station near Guwahati in Assam on Wednesday morning (November 11), has raised questions over a possible malfunction in the train’s braking system.
The footage appears to show the loco pilot and assistant loco pilot making desperate attempts to stop the train by applying various braking mechanisms, including the emergency brake, but without success.
The Northeast Frontier Railway has not issued any official statement regarding the footage.
Also read: Kolkata-Sairang Express derails in Assam, six coaches go off tracks near Guwahati
Following the accident, the Northeast Frontier Railway had stated that the loco pilot failed to control the train, leading to the derailment.
What loco pilot says in video
In the video, one of the crew members can be heard saying that all available brakes, including the emergency brake, had been applied but the train was not slowing down.
“Dekhiye BP kam nahi ho raha hai (See, the BP pressure is not dropping),” the loco pilot is heard saying, apparently referring to the Brake Pipe (BP) pressure, which plays a crucial role in the train’s braking mechanism.
He further says that he had tried all available braking options in the locomotive cab, including the emergency brake, loco brake and A-9 brake, but none appeared to be working.
“Kuch bhi kaam nahi kar raha hai (Nothing is working),” he says.
The video ends with the locomotive hitting a dead end and coming to a halt with a heavy jolt.
However, senior loco pilots who examined the footage have pointed out an apparent discrepancy in the crew member’s explanation. According to them, the BP gauge visible in the video indicates that the pressure had already dropped to nearly zero, contrary to the claim that it was not coming down.
Train overshoots red signal
A senior loco pilot suggested that the crew member might have made the statement in panic. Nevertheless, he pointed out that the train’s failure to stop despite the BP pressure reaching nearly zero raises serious concerns about the functioning of the braking system.
He also drew attention to the speedometer, which, according to him, shows the train travelling at around 40 kmph or even higher during the approximately 45-second recording. The train appears to have stopped only after overshooting the red signal, hitting the dead end and eventually derailing.
The senior loco pilot said the footage could indicate a possible functional failure in the braking system, adding that similar brake-related incidents in the past have resulted in trains overshooting signals and causing accidents.
Railway officials, meanwhile, maintained that a detailed investigation would be necessary to establish whether any malfunction in the braking system contributed to the derailment.