NEW DELHI: A malfunctioning German-made braking system appears to have triggered Thursdays head-on accident in between two products trains in Uttar Pradesh, a preliminary report has said.The Bogie-Mounted Brake System (BMBS) was red-flagged by the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in July 2022.

It said a committee report found shortages in the systems braking power.On Thursday, two items trains collided with each other near the southern cabin of Sultanpur station.One of the trains, packed with coal, was running at a speed of about 65 kilometres per hour.

This train was fitted with the BMBS.

The other train was empty.An initial report said the location where the accident happened had both curved and steep down gradient as an outcome of which the braking system was ineffective.According to the July 2022 RDSO report, the German-made braking system has lower brake force .

It stated decreasing speeds will mitigate the risks.However, it did not advise stopping operations of the braking system as around 69,000 wagons were fitted with it.Sources said running teams of trains highlighted their frustration with the system and raised the concern with the Railway Board.Unofficial figures state that around 90 such accidents took place due to the malfunctioning braking system over the previous year.Since the system is used only in products trains, the loss of lives have been minimal.Officials said the Railways is working with the German company Knorr-Bremse to come up with a practical service to the issue.