A train moves past damaged coaches, after the tracks were restored, at the site of a train collision following the accident in Balasore district in the eastern state of Odisha, India, June 5, 2023. (Photo: REUTERS)

At least 275 people were killed on Friday when a passenger train hit a stationary freight train, went off the tracks and hit another passenger train passing in the opposite direction in the eastern state of Odisha. 

In their first detailed briefing on the crash, Indian Railways officials said that failure of the track management system was the main focus of investigations. 

The computer-controlled track management system, called the “interlocking system”, directs a train to an empty track at the point where two tracks meet, Sandeep Mathur, principal executive director for signalling, told reporters. 

It also coordinates and controls the signal to an oncoming train, indicating whether the train has to move straight or switch to a new track, he said.