The inquiry into the derailment of the Ajmer-Sealdah Express on December 28, 2016, shows that some coaches were made of sub-standard material, and, therefore, the impact of the accident was much more on them.
Sources told DNA that the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) would soon submit its report to the government. The inquiry into the accident, which left more than 62 people injured, is almost concluded, sources said. They added that that CRS has sent samples of the axle, wheels and wagons to the National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur. "The result of the test is likely to come anytime soon," a source said.
Fifteen coaches of the train had derailed in Kanpur rural district. The accident took place near Rura railway Station, 70 km from Kanpur, when the train was crossing a bridge over a dry canal. The probe into the incident is being headed by Commissioner of Railway Safety (Northern Region), Shailesh Kumar Pathak.
Sources told DNA that the CRS came to the conclusion that some coaches were made of bad material after it was found that some coaches, which should not have been impacted much, were found to be more damaged that the ones which were supposed to be worst-hit. According to a source, it was found that the coupling was broken at four places. A coupling (or a coupler) is a mechanism for connecting rolling stock in a train.
"The wheels and axle of some coaches were particularly bent, which strongly indicated that some of them were of substandard material," sources said. The draft inquiry report states that the impact of the accident would have been lesser, if the train had modern Linke Holfmann Bush (LHB) coaches instead of the old Integral Coach Factory (ICF)-designed ones, sources said.
LHB coaches are safer as they do not turn turtle in case of a derailment since they are made of stainless steel. ICF coaches are made of mild steel. Sources also disclosed that the investigators have found no evidence of rail fracture. The Railways had earlier suspended four officials for alleged laxity on the basis of a separate departmental inquiry. The year 2016-2017 has been one of the worst years for the Railways as more than 225 were killed in accidents.
