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The news of a major and sensational accident has come out from Bengaluru city, which is known as Silicon Valley of Karnataka, late on Sunday night, which has raised many serious questions on the railway safety system and the safety of the station premises. A bogie of a train suddenly parked in the technical yard of the capital’s busiest and most important Krantiveer Sangolli Rayanna (KSR) Bengaluru City Railway Station burst into flames. This sudden accident caused panic among the railway officials and employees as the flames were so strong that black smoke and bright light were visible in the sky from a distance. It is fortunate that this accident happened at night when the concerned bogie of the train was completely empty and there were no passengers or railway staff present in it, otherwise a huge crisis of human loss could have arisen. Due to the promptness of the Railway Protection Forces and the local fire department, this massive fire was brought under control in time, due to which other valuable bogies and railway properties parked nearby were saved from burning.
#Krantiveer Sangoli Accident happened in the silence of the night at Rayanna Railway Station
According to reports received and eyewitnesses, the entire incident is said to have happened around 11 pm on Sunday night when the main yard of KSR Bengaluru City Railway Station is usually quiet. However, every day dozens of long distance and local trains are parked in this railway yard for maintenance, washing and shunting. On Sunday night, when the people of the city were resting in their homes, suddenly smoke started rising from inside a bogie inside the railway station and within no time the huge flames engulfed the entire bogie. Due to such a sudden fire in the silence of the night, there was immediate panic among the security personnel and railway staff present there. When an alert railway employee patrolling at night saw the bogie engulfed in flames in a corner of the yard, without wasting a single moment he displayed his presence of mind and immediately informed the senior officials and the local fire brigade and emergency services.
#A major train accident was averted due to the prompt action of the fire department
As soon as the fire department and emergency services received information about the fire in the railway station yard, several fire engines from various fire stations in Bengaluru immediately rushed to the spot with sirens blaring. Within minutes, fire brigade personnel reached the yard of KSR Railway Station with heavy equipment and started fire extinguishing operations on a war footing. The fire was so fierce that the entire surrounding area got heated due to its heat and all the stuff inside the bogie was burnt to ashes. Without caring for their lives, the fire brigade personnel started spraying water from all sides so that at any cost the fire could not reach other bogies parked in the railway yard or the overhead wires. After a lot of hard work, the fire brigade personnel finally succeeded in completely controlling the fire. If the fire brigade team had delayed even a little, the fire could have engulfed other nearby bogies as well, causing financial losses worth crores of rupees to the Railways as well as a serious security crisis.
#High officials took stock of the incident site, technical investigation is underway into the cause of the fire
As soon as information about this horrific fire was received, many senior officials of South Western Railway, Commandant of Railway Protection Force (RPF) and top officials of Government Railway Police (GRP) immediately reached the spot. The officials closely inspected the burnt bogie and took stock of the entire incident site. Preliminary investigation has revealed that it was fortunate that the bogie was completely empty at the time of the incident and there were no passengers in it, otherwise the matter could have been much more serious. However, the question arises that how did such a massive fire suddenly break out inside a closed and empty train. Whether there was a technical fault of any short circuit (electrical short-circuit) behind it or there was some anti-social element or conspiracy behind it, keeping all these aspects in mind, the Railway Administration has set up a high-level investigation. A team of forensic experts has also been called to the spot so that scientific evidence can be collected from inside the bogie and the real cause of the fire can be officially revealed.
#Serious questions raised on security arrangements of railway stations and yards
The incident, which took place in the yard of Bengaluru’s most prominent and busy KSR Railway Station, has sparked a fresh discussion on the security systems of railway stations across the country. Railway yard is a sensitive area where trains are maintained, repaired and prepared for the next journey. The burning of a train bogie in such a safe and restricted area in itself indicates gross negligence or technical lapse. There are sporadic reports of fire or short circuit in trains from different parts of the country, but such an accident at the central railway station of the main city further underlines the necessity of railway safety audit. Railway unions and passenger associations have also demanded that modern fire fighting equipment and automatic sprinkler systems should be immediately installed in the yards of all railway stations so that such accidents in future can be prevented at an early stage.
#Safety of passengers is paramount, railway administration is taking strict steps
Immediately after the incident, the spokesperson of South Western Railway Zone issued a statement saying that the safety of passengers is the first and highest priority of the Railways. There has been no loss of life in this accident, which is a matter of greatest relief. The Railway Administration has assured that after the investigation report comes, strictest departmental and legal action will be taken against whoever is found guilty. Along with this, instructions have been given to conduct special safety and fire safety audit in all the railway stations, coaching depots and yards of Bengaluru so that all the electrical fittings, battery boxes and bogies can be thoroughly checked. Taking such precautionary steps by Railways will not only prevent such incidents in future but will also strengthen the confidence of passengers regarding the safety of Indian trains and stations.
#Modern technology will be used to increase security and surveillance in the yard.
Taking a lesson from this incident in Bengaluru, the Railway Board is now considering increasing the coverage of CCTV cameras and using night vision thermal sensors in all major railway yards across the country. Many times such accidents occur due to movement of anti-social elements or unauthorized people in the yards, hence now it has been decided to raise the boundary wall and make the patrolling of the security forces more efficient. The work of removing the burnt bogie from the yard at KSR Railway Station has also been started on war footing so that it does not affect the normal railway operations. Railway officials say that by making improvements at the technical and administrative level, it will be completely ensured that such a thing does not happen again in Bengaluru or any other station in Karnataka in the future and the journey of passengers remains completely safe.