美国国家公共电台 NPR--Signaling error appears to have caused a major train crash in India

Signaling error appears to have caused a major train crash in India

Transcript¹

NRR's Steve Inskeep talks to journalist Shalu Yadav in New Delhi about investigators² looking into a signaling system that apparently³ failed. The derailment in eastern India killed at least 275 people.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

More than a lot of other nations, India moves by railroads.

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

The world's most populous⁴ country has one of the world's busiest rail systems. Its older trains feature in Bollywood movies. Its newer ones are a symbol of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's economic modernization⁵. So how did three trains collide, killing⁶ at least 275 people?

INSKEEP: Journalist Shalu Yadav has been following this story from New Delhi.

Welcome to the program.

SHALU YADAV: Good morning, Steve.

INSKEEP: Hadn't India just been spending a lot of money upgrading the rail network? I've been reading about this.

YADAV: Yes, Steve. And in recent years the number of accidents have gone down because Modi government has spent billions of dollars to modernize⁷ the system. But even so, Indian railways remain a huge work in progress. You got to remember, Steve, this is one of the largest and oldest railways networks in the world - most of it built by the British. And so maintenance is a bit of a Herculean task, even if you're spending lots of money. And Prime Minister Modi has prioritized high-speed trains in particular as part of his idea of connecting India faster. But some critics say that that's come at the expense of maintaining the older trains and the system that they run on.

INSKEEP: Oh, this is interesting because from the images of this terrible wreckage⁸, these look like the classic colorful older Indian trains. Are the older ones on...

YADAV: Yes.

INSKEEP: ...Completely different safety systems?

YADAV: Well, most aspects of the older trains, I would say, remain on the older safety system. Not much upgrading has happened to accommodate even the high-speed trains. Now, India's railway minister has hinted that a signal failure is a likely cause that led to this disaster, but he did not rule out a human error.

INSKEEP: OK.

YADAV: Authorities say that both trains had approached Balasore District Station under a green signal, indicating it was all safe, but it went horribly wrong. A passenger train en route the southern city of Chennai derailed after it rammed⁹ into a stationary¹⁰ freight train. Its coaches that fell on the opposite track then got hit by another passenger train that was coming in high speed from the other side...

INSKEEP: Wow.

YADAV: ...Leading to the worst train disaster this country has seen in two decades, Steve.

INSKEEP: How important is Indian train service, whether it's upgraded or not?

YADAV: Pretty important. It's, in fact, called the lifeline of the country, as it ferries over 25 million people every day. And it connects this vast country of 1.4 billion people. It's often, you know, the cheapest and fastest medium to get around for most people in the country, especially the working class who depend on it to get to the - you know, their workplace from villages to the cities. Even milk supplies and petrol supplies depend on trains. And many of the families of the victims and the injured, Steve - they are still dependent on train services, too, to find their loved ones. And with that service disrupted, some are now taking long journeys by road to reach the spot where officials say that over a hundred bodies are still unclaimed or unidentified.

INSKEEP: How's the recovery effort going?

YADAV: Well, it's still ongoing¹¹, in full swing as we speak, Steve. It's taken over a thousand rescue workers who've been working over 24/7, you know, of - since Friday night with heavy machinery¹² to try and clear the tons of debris¹³ that lay on the tracks. Officials say that the operation should be back to normal by Tuesday night or Wednesday, Steve.

INSKEEP: Journalist Shalu Yadav is in New Delhi.

Thank you so much.

YADAV: Thank you for having me.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

4 populous   

adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的

参考例句：

• London is the most populous area of Britain.伦敦是英国人口最稠密的地区。
• China is the most populous developing country in the world.中国是世界上人口最多的发展中国家。

5 modernization   

n.现代化，现代化的事物

参考例句：

• This will help us achieve modernization.这有助于我们实现现代化。
• The Chinese people are sure to realize the modernization of their country.中国人民必将实现国家现代化。

6 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

7 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。

8 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

9 rammed   

v.夯实（土等）( ram的过去式和过去分词 )；猛撞；猛压；反复灌输

参考例句：

• Two passengers were injured when their taxi was rammed from behind by a bus. 公共汽车从后面撞来，出租车上的两位乘客受了伤。
• I rammed down the earth around the newly-planted tree. 我将新栽的树周围的土捣硬。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 stationary   

adj.固定的，静止不动的

参考例句：

• A stationary object is easy to be aimed at.一个静止不动的物体是容易瞄准的。
• Wait until the bus is stationary before you get off.你要等公共汽车停稳了再下车。

11 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

12 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

13 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。