'Uttarbanga Exp driver violated red signal'

The driver of the Uttarbanga Express was alerted by the station master that a train was already there on the tracks but he violated the red signal, Rehmat Ali, the signal in-charge of the Sainthia station where the deadly collision took place said on Tuesday.

"I am sure that the signal was red. But the driver violated the red signal and entered the platform. No one in Uttarbanga Express, neither the driver nor the guard contacted me saying that brake was not working," he said.

He said the station master alerted the driver of the Uttarbanga Express over walkie talkie and asked him to stop the train as the signal was red and there was already a train on the platform. "But he got no response and within 30 seconds, the two trains collided," he said.

Recounting the moments before the Sealdah-bound Uttarbanga Express rammed into the Vananchal Express, he said that within 30 seconds of the Vananchal Express moving out from the platform, he got a call from the voice cabin that another train was entering the platform.

"I did not know which train it was. Because Vananchal Express was already there on platform number four and no train can enter the platform unless it is cleared," he said.

Assistant station master of Sainthia Pulak Chakraborty had yesterday said that the Uttarbanga Express entered the station at a high speed on the same track as the Vananchal Express although the 'home signal' was not given.

A cabinman, who preferred anonymity, had said that the Uttarbanga Express driver was at fault. Sixty-three people, including the driver and assistant driver of the Uttaranga Express, were killed and 92 others injured in the collision.