A thorough investigation by the Railway authorities concluded that the loco pilot, Anil Kumar, was not at fault for the Kanchanjunga Express train accident in Darjeeling, West Bengal. The accident occurred on June 17th, involving a goods train and the Kanchanjunga Express bound for Sealdah. The collision resulted in the...
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tragic deaths of 10 individuals, including the guard of the passenger train and the loco pilot of the goods train. An initial investigation wrongly attributed blame to Anil Kumar, causing distress to his family. The final report by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) found that the accident was due to an error in allowing the goods train to proceed on a section despite the presence of the Kanchanjunga Express. This error was compounded by a faulty memo that allowed the goods train to pass all signals without any cautionary orders. The goods train was traveling at 78 km/h when it detected the Kanchanjunga Express, prompting the loco pilot to apply emergency brakes. Despite this, the train could only decelerate to 40 km/h before the collision. The report highlighted Anil Kumar's efforts to adjust the throttle 10 times within 5 minutes, demonstrating his alertness.