New Delhi, Days after the Odisha train accident, the Indian Railways has issued instructions that there should be a 'double locking arrangement' in the 'station relay room' and the signaling equipment room. The Railway Ministry, in an order issued on Monday, also said that all zones should check that the double locking system (in which both the station master and the signaling staff keep the same key) is being strictly followed.

A day before this, railway officials had expressed apprehension that the reason behind the train accident in Odisha could be a fault in the signaling system. After this, the Ministry of Railways said in a new order that all the zones will have to check whether the opening and closing of the relay room is being done according to the rules or not. For this whether data logging and SMS alerts are working properly or not. Also, it was directed that during the drive, it should be ensured that disconnection and reconnection for signaling equipment is done as per the prescribed norms and guidelines.

Double locking arrangement should be ensured
The order states, “All gumti housing signaling equipment within station limits should be checked and double locking arrangements should be ensured.” Besides, relay rooms in stations should also be checked for double locking. The ministry has said that all the places in each zone should be investigated. At least 10 percent of the areas should be re-examined by the officials.

Susceptibility to manual manipulation of interlocking system
a Railway Ministry official had said on Sunday that the electronic interlocking system is very robust and there is a possibility that it may have been tampered with. When asked whether it was a system issue or was manipulated manually, the official said that "it is possible that it was manipulated manually".