The public is demanding more information from the railway authority on why two passengers trains collided in central China on Monday, killing three and injuring 63.

A railway official said on Tuesday that one of the trains suffered "brake failure" before running into another train in Chenzhou, Hunan province, but did not elaborate why.

The comment soon raised doubts with the public. Some net users said a train is usually equipped with back-up brakes for emergencies.

But both emergency brakes had not been used as drivers tried in vain to stop the train from Changsha to Shenzhen. It collided into a train from Tongren, Guizhou province, which was also headed to Shenzhen.

The drivers, Huang Shaomu and Xu Aijun, are so far not believed to have made mistakes in operating the trains, Sun Jing, deputy general manager of the Guangzhou Railway Group, was quoted by Guangzhou-based New Express as saying on Tuesday.

Three injured passengers were discharged from hospital Tuesday and another 20 left on Wednesday, doctors said.

The public also questioned why the two trains would be at Chenzhou Railway Station at the same time.

Xinhua News Agency reported that the train from Tongren should have left the railway station at 2:22 am, while the one from Changsha was due to arrive at 2:38 am.

Since the two trains collided at 2:34 am on Monday, Xinhua suggested there may have been dispatch mistakes.

But a railway station source said it is common for trains to arrive earlier than schedule or leave behind schedule.

A spokesman with the Ministry of Railways denied comment on doubts voiced by the public.

"The ministry is still investigating the reason, and findings will not be disclosed until the investigation is complete," the spokesman said over the phone yesterday.

Some have also noted a similarity between Monday's collision and one that killed 72 and injured 416 in Shandong province last year. Both happened about the same time as changes to the train operation diagram.

The tragedy last year was blamed on railway department management as the driver was not informed a new operation diagram on Jiaoji Railway had started just a day before.

Monday's collision happened just two days before the Ministry of Railways adjusted its national operation diagram, Zhou Zixun, an economic analyst, was quoted by Shanghai Business Daily as saying.

(China Daily July 2, 2009)