New Delhi: For nearly 463 km, an empty Vande Bharat train travelled across two states without its coaches' braking systems functioning effectively, even as railway staff allegedly ignored repeated warnings from the train crew.

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The alarming incident, which took place on October 24, has prompted the South Eastern Railway (SER) zone to order a detailed investigation into multiple alleged lapses that could have endangered other railway operations.

The empty Vande Bharat chair car rake was being transported from Hatia in Jharkhand to Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh with the help of a freight locomotive. However, an investigation order issued by the SER zone on November 7 revealed that the train's braking system had not been properly integrated with that of the locomotive assigned to haul it.

Despite the train crew flagging the problem, the rake was allegedly allowed to continue its journey without effective coach brakes.

The railway zone itself underlined the seriousness of the incident, describing operating a train without adequate braking power as a major safety concern.

‘Running a train without adequate brake power is a serious safety concern that may lead to a major accident, endangering the lives of staff and passengers and affecting the safety of railway operations,’ the railway zone said.

According to the November 7 order, the loco pilot conducted a brake feel and brake power test after the train departed from Hatia, in the Hatia-Ranchi section, following the prescribed procedures.

However, the test revealed that the train's braking performance was extremely poor.

The loco pilot subsequently submitted a written complaint to railway personnel at Ranchi station, bringing the issue to their attention. Despite the warning, the train was permitted to proceed in the same condition.

The problem was raised again when another loco pilot took charge of the train at Muri station.

He reportedly alerted the concerned controllers about the ineffective braking system and specifically pointed out that the brakes could not be applied by dropping the brake pipe (BP) pressure. Yet, the rake continued towards Uttar Pradesh.

Only when the train reached Deen Dayal Upadhyaya (DDU) station in Chandauli district did railway personnel intervene.

An inspection revealed that the braking systems of all the coaches had been isolated, rendering them ineffective.

The preliminary investigation has identified several instances of alleged negligence involving coach and wagon (C&W) staff, section and traction controllers at the stations concerned, and the train crew responsible for operating the rake between Hatia and DDU.

The C&W personnel, who are responsible for maintaining railway coaches, allegedly failed to physically verify whether the braking systems were operational before clearing the rake for departure.

The order also pointed to railway personnel's failure to act on repeated complaints about poor brake performance.

Another concern highlighted by the investigation was the train crew's unfamiliarity with the Vande Bharat's braking mechanism.

The loco pilots reportedly failed to physically establish whether the brakes were being applied across the coaches.

‘From the above, it is evident that there were multiple failures on the part of various staff, resulting in the train being worked without effective train brakes,’ the order stated.

The rake completed its approximately 463-km journey relying exclusively on the locomotive's brakes and regenerative braking, without applying the coaches' braking systems.

The SER zone has directed the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Ranchi to investigate the incident comprehensively, establish individual responsibility and recommend corrective measures to prevent a recurrence.

The October 24 incident has also drawn attention because it occurred days before the Kolkata-Sairang Express derailed in Assam on November 11, an accident linked to almost similar negligence concerns.