Site of Head on Collision of Brahmaputra Mail and Avadh Assam Express
The Gaisal train disaster occurred on 2 August 1999,when two trains carrying 2,500 people collided at the remote station of Gaisal, 310 miles from the city of Gauhati in Assam. The crash was at such high speeds that the trains actually exploded upon impact killing at least 290 people.
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Collision :-...
more... The crash occurred at about 1.30am on 2 August, when the Avadh Assam Express from New Delhi was stationary at the station. The Brahmaputra Mail from Dibrugarh, packed with soldiers and security police heading for the border regions at very high speed, through a signalling error, was transferred onto the same track as the express train. Nobody noticed the error on either train, or in the signals & station master's office, until the Brahmaputra Mail train crashed headlong into the front of the Avadh Assam Express. The engine of the Avadh Assam was thrown high in the air, and passengers from both trains were blown into neighbouring buildings and fields by the force of the explosion.
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Failures :-
Three of the four lines at Kishanganj station were non-operational since doubling of lines was in progress. Only one line was being used to carry the load usually carried by four - 31 trains in a day. Track circuiting and interlocking were also not working at the station because of the work in progress. Track circuiting is an electrical procedure by which the station master and consequently the train driver can know that the track ahead is occupied. The signals will remain red, interlocking the track, which effectively means that the series of signals cannot be turned green unless the station master allows. The signals can be changed from the relay room which can only be opened by jointly by the station master and the signal inspector. In such a situation, the points in the track have to be set manually by the ``cranking procedure. A crank handle, available at stations, has to be rotated manually on the orders of the station master for setting the points which are then clamped and locked. The entire process takes around 30 minutes. Assistant Station Master (ASM) of Kishanganj station S P Chandra later on admitted to sending the Awadh-Assam Express on the wrong (down) line causing it to collide with the Brahmputra Mail on August 1 first presented by a preliminary inquiry report of Chief Commissioner Railway Safety (CCRS). Right after the incident Chandra absconded and was arrested from Katihar on August 10.
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Source :- Wikipedia
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please wait...Translate to Englishhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaisal_train_disaster
This site had a major head-on collision between two trains called Brahmaputra Mail and Avadh Assam Express. It happened on August 2, 1999, at a remote station called Gaisal, which is about 310 miles away from the city of Gauhati in Assam. The collision was so intense that the trains actually exploded upon impact, resulting in the death of at least 290 people.
The collision occurred around 1:30 am on August 2 when the Avadh Assam Express from New Delhi was stopped at the station. The Brahmaputra Mail from Dibrugarh, which was packed with soldiers and security police traveling at a very high speed towards the border regions, was mistakenly directed onto the same track as the express train due to a signaling error. Nobody noticed the mistake on either train or in the signals and station master's office until the Brahmaputra Mail train crashed head-on into the front of the Avadh Assam Express. The engine of the Avadh Assam was thrown high in the air, and passengers from both trains were blown into nearby buildings and fields by the force of the explosion.
There were several failures that contributed to the accident. Three out of the four tracks at Kishanganj station were not operational due to ongoing track doubling work. Only one track was being used to handle the load that would normally be carried by four tracks, which meant there were 31 trains passing through in a day. The track circuiting and interlocking systems at the station were also not working due to the ongoing work. Track circuiting is an electrical procedure that allows the station master and train drivers to know if the track ahead is occupied. The signals would remain red and the track would be interlocked, preventing the signals from turning green unless authorized by the station master. The signals can only be changed from the relay room, which can only be opened by the station master and the signal inspector together. In such a situation, the points in the track had to be manually set using a crank handle, which would take around 30 minutes. Assistant Station Master (ASM) S P Chandra of Kishanganj station later admitted that he had sent the Awadh-Assam Express on the wrong line, causing the collision with the Brahmaputra Mail. Chandra fled after the incident and was later arrested on August 10 in Katihar.
Source: Wikipedia
Picture link: [click here](http://indiatoday.intoday.in/gallery/bhaskar-paul-india-today-india/11/11388.html)
