Closed brake valve may have caused Kolkata-Sairang Express to overshoot signal and derail in Assam

A preliminary investigation into the derailment of the Kolkata-Sairang Express at Digaru railway station in Assam on November 11 has pointed to a possible failure of the train’s main braking system, with a closed brake pipe angle cock suspected to have prevented the brakes from functioning, PTI reported.According to a six-member probe team’s preliminary findings cited by PTI, the BP angle cock, a component that controls the flow of compressed air required to apply brakes across the coaches, was found in an isolated condition in the locomotive.A joint note prepared by the team on the day of the accident said this could have been the reason for the derailment, as the brakes might not have been applied while the locomotive’s FP/BP angle cock remained isolated.The note also recorded that the train crew had applied the brakes, but they might not have worked because the angle cock was already in the…