A probe by Metro Railway has pointed out “major safety lapses” in the October 8 incident that led to a prolonged disruption in services and emission of smoke from a rake caused by a tilt in the third rail at Birji (Shahid Khudiram) station.

The report, however, has not highlighted the poor condition of a large number of rakes which officials believe was responsible for the change in the alignment of the third rail.

A Metro spokesperson said on Friday: “We are taking necessary action. Explanations have been sought from those held responsible by the probe.”

The post-Puja incident, which occurred while an empty train was changing tracks at Birji, was blamed on a few malfunctioning third rail current collectors (TRCCs), which draw power from the conduit running parallel to the tracks. Each compartment has a collector on either side.

The train was allowed to travel back to Dum Dum though the dislocated TRCCs were grazing the third rail all through the journey.

“The on-duty traffic supervisor at Birji had heard an abnormal sound while the train was passing through. He advised the motormen (drivers) through the East Cabin of Goragacha siding (between Birji and New Garia stations where trains switch tracks) to check the rake. But the superintendent meanwhile granted line clearance to subsequent two Down (Garia Bazar-bound) trains without physically verifying the tracks where the third rail had been tilted...” the report stated.

“Two rake maintenance employees were on duty on the Down platform of Shahid Khudiram. But they failed to react to the abnormal sound from the tracks or the train.”

The motormen, too, have been blamed. “Despite advice by the on-duty senior traffic assistant (who operates signalling panels), the motormen were not sincere enough to check the train at the Goragacha siding,” the report pointed out.

According to the report, three TRCCs of the train were badly damaged after hitting the third rail.

“The train should have been taken to the car shed of Mahanayak Uttam Kumar (Tollygunge) station. But the rake was not checked sincerely at the station and it was allowed to resume journey,” it said.

The smoke caused by repeated collision of the current collectors and the third rail prompted the authorities to evacuate the train at Rabindra Sarobar station. The empty rake was then driven to the Noapara car shed in Dum Dum.

Instead of running the empty rake in “an unsafe condition”, the authorities should have shunted it at Maidan station. The continuous friction between the non-functional TRCCs with the third rail led to the disruption in power supply.

Services in the old section had to be suspended for 45 minutes and in the new section for three hours.

“In this particular case, series of lapses were noticed from the on-board staff and those deployed at the stations,” the report said, while observing that motormen were not well-versed in safety rules. Nor were are they “vigilant enough” while driving trains.

The probe team had come across concrete slabs on the new stretch that were not placed properly on the ducts and “unwanted electric materials” near the tracks.

“Lack of basic infrastructure in the new section and a staff crunch are responsible for incidents like the one on October 8. There is also no effort to replace old, overused rakes,” said Dilip Mukherjee, the general secretary of Metro Rail Men’s Union.