Veligonda train disaster

The Veligonda rail disaster occurred on 29 October 2005 near the town of Veligonda, south of Hyderabad in the Indian State of Andhra Pradesh. A flash flood swept away a small rail bridge, and a "Delta Express" train travelling on it derailed at the broken section of the line, killing at least 114 people and injuring over 200.

The train was traveling south at night, packed with hundreds of sleeping holiday makers visiting relatives for Divali, when a huge irrigation tank situated up stream from the rail lines ruptured, sending thousands of gallons of water down the channel, destroying the bridge in the darkness. When the passenger train hit the broken section a short time later, nobody had reported the damage, and the engine and seven coaches of the train disappeared into the gap created by the broken line. Four coaches crashed into a field close to where the track had been, whilst three more fell into the channel and were swept farther afield into deeper water, where most of the fatalities occurred.

In the day following the accident, the Indian Navy supplied divers, who dived into the flood waters with blow-torches to try to rescue people who may have been trapped in air pockets in the sunken carriages. Reportedly, several people were rescued this way. The army and air force also provided assistance with rescue, medical and heavy lift helicopters, by collecting bodies and maintaining security at the site.

The area had been lashed by monsoon rains for several weeks before the accident, which had waterlogged fields and over-filled the irrigation tank, which had ruptured due to unknown factors exacerbated by the heavy volume of rainfall. The flooding had also destroyed several roads, hampering efforts to get emergency personnel to the scene quickly. India's Junior Transport Minister commented on the disaster:

"Little could have been done to avoid the accident"."

Andhra Pradesh's opposition leader Chandrababu Naidu disagreed, claiming that bureaucratic miscommunication between the irrigation and railways departments delayed vital warings about the state of the flooding which might have prevented the de-railment.

Similar accidents

* December 24, 1953 - Tangiwai disaster - Tangiwai, North Island, New Zealand: the Tangiwai railway bridge over the Whangaehu River collapses as the overnight express train between Wellington and Auckland passes over it; the bridge supports had been weakened by a lahar (a volcanic ash and debris filled flash flood) a few minutes before the train passed. 151 people are killed. A passerby is not able to warn the train in time. The rebuilt bridge is equipped with high water warning devices.
* 1880 - Murrurundi - night mail train derailed at washaway - 10 killed.
* 25 January, 1885 - Salt Creek near Cootamundra - night mail train derailed at washaway - 7 killed. [Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin November, 1952]
* August 7, 1904 – Eden, Colorado, United States: Train caught in bridge washout; 97 known dead; 14 missing.
* September 27, 1923 – near Glenrock, Wyoming - a bridge over Coal Creek was washed away and a passenger train derailed, killing 30 of the train's 66 passengers.
* September 8, 1945 – Llangollen, Denbighshire, Wales: An early morning mail train crashes after the adjacent canal flooded and washed away the track at Sun Bank, killing the driver and causing a fire.
* 1993 - 114 perished in a passenger train which plunged into a river after floods washed away a bridge at Ngai Ndethya.

Preventative measures

At times of heavy rain, railways could place washawaymen, like fog signalmen at culverts and bridges to warn trains of dangerous washaways. This would be expensive, and besides, the washawaymen would not be able to tell if the bridge has been merely weakened, which is almost as dangerous.

Warning signals can operate automatically, but would not be foolproof if the bridge is merely damaged. False warnings would also delay traffic. This would also be costly. The warning signal needs to be 1 or 2 km away from the bridge so that the warning can be given in time.

In addition, some washaways occur when it is not raining, such as when a dam collapses or a lahar occurs.

One useful measure would be to post signs with the telephone number of the relevant signalman, so that passersby can more easily give warnings.

Extra caution needed

A number of weather scenarios require extra caution, and perhaps lower speeds for trains, however it is not easy to judge how much precaution should be taken:
* Heavy rain, where washaways may occur.
* Hot weather, where rails may buckle.
* Heavy fog, where signals may be hard to read.
* Heavy snow, where the tracks may be impassable.
* Strong winds, which may blow train off tracks.
* Tsunamis, which may wreck trains.

See also

* List of rail accidents

References

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4387474.stm BBC News Report]
* [http://old.heraldextra.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=34485 Photograph of the wreckage]
* [http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-10-30-india-train_x.htm USA Today News Report]
* [http://newsfromrussia.com/world/2005/10/31/66617.html Russian News Report]
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/india/story/0,,1605148,00.html Guardian News Report]