The chairman of the
Railway Board said that the operator of the goods train ignored multiple red signals, which might have caused the crash. The train operators union criticised the statement as premature. Railway sources said the cause of the incident may have been a faulty automatic signal, which was defective since 5:50 IST. The trains were not equipped with
Kavach, a collision avoidance system designed by
Indian Railways. Preliminary investigation revealed that the trains were issued manual clearances called TA 912 by the station master of the Rangapani station to ignore the faulty signals. The passenger train had traveled some distance from the station and was stationery on the track, awaiting further clearance. In case of a signal failure, Indian railway rules (GS&R 9.02) stipulate that the loco pilots should operate at speeds less than , wait for one minute at each red signal and ensure that the track is visually clear for at least before proceeding. A T/A 912 clearance is typically granted when there are no other obstructions present along the section and is used to override the stipulated rules. Hence, the manual clearance issued to the goods train placed it on a collision course with the stationary passenger train and excessive speed was also considered as a contributing factor to the eventual accident. On 21 June 2024,
East Central Railway banned the issuance of T/A 912 until further notice. == Reactions ==