The Hindu : Cracks in tracks may have caused derailment

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 12, 2003

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National

Cracks in tracks may have caused derailment

By Vinay Kumar

Derailed bogies of the Guwahati-bound Kamrup Express near the Tihu station in Assam on Saturday. — PTI

NEW DELHI JAN. 11. Yet another passenger train accident has raised the oft-repeated question of safety on the tracks. Initial reports on the derailment of the Kamrup Express between Tihu and Pathsasla in lower Assam on Friday night have ruled out sabotage but hinted that cracks in the track could have caused it.

According to preliminary reports from the North-East Frontier Railway, intense cold conditions could have caused the cracks leading to the derailment of a dozen bogies and the engine.

The passengers had a miraculous escape because of the fog which forced the train to travel at a very slow speed.

The poor quality of rails used by the Railways was cited as a reason for the Khanna train accident which claimed the lives of 250 in November 1998. The Comptroller and Auditor-General in its report then had stressed upon the ``high risk factor'' involved in laying rails with excess hydrogen level and with excessive residual stress. Sources said that it was still the crucial aspect of safety as at least four accidents had taken place, because of poor quality of rails supplied by Bhilai Steel Plant which fell far short of the safety standards.

With the continuing efforts of the Railway Ministry, the Bhilai plant has been asked to improve quality of the rails.

The hydrogen content was first brought down to 3 parts per million (ppm) by installing a de-gasser unit.

It was the maximum quantity permitted under the Railways specifications.

Very recently, the Railways has further reduced this limit to 2.2 ppm and it was being followed by the Bhilai plant.

It is learnt that the plant has also installed ``on-line'' ultrasonic flaw detectors which prevents defective rails from going out.

In addition, Eddy — current testing facilities for automatic marking of rails which have surface defects and damaged surfaces — has also been installed.

Sources said that out of the three defects mentioned in the CAG report, two have been addressed by the Bhilai plant but residual stress continued to exist.

Cracking of rails can either be attributed to high hydrogen content or high residual stress.

In fact, high residual stress, a measure of stress which gets locked up in rail during manufacturing process, is yet to be taken care of.

Further, the Bhilai plant continues to enjoy a monopoly slot, as it is the sole supplier of rails.

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