New Delhi: Ministry of Railways has given many important information in the Odisha train accident. The Railway Ministry held a press conference and told how the accident happened. Railway Board member and Operation and Business Development Officer Jaya Verma Sinha told that the goods train did not derail. Since the goods train was carrying iron ore, the Coromandel Express suffered the most damage. It is the cause of a large number of deaths and injuries. The derailed coaches of the Coromandel Express came on the down line and collided with the last two coaches of the Yesvantpur Express. Which was crossing the downline at a speed of 126 km/hr.
He said that according to preliminary findings, there has been some problem with the signaling. We are still waiting for the detailed report of the Commissioner of Railway Safety. Only the Coromandel Express was the victim of the accident. The speed of the train was approximately 128 km/h. He said that the Ministry of Home Affairs is helping us.
Jaya Verma Sinha informed us that while the restoration work is underway, at least two railway lines are expected to be operational at the site by 8 pm tonight. We hope that trains will start running at a slower speed. The inquiry is going on, we are probing from all angles. Prima facie it appears to be a signaling issue, but we can’t corroborate anything yet.
He told that after the accident, the railways first did the relief and rescue work, and after that, the repair work is being done. Bahanaga station has 4 lines. It has 2 main lines. There was a good train on the loop line. The driver had received the green signal at the station. Both vehicles were running at full speed. Preliminary investigation shows that there is a disturbance in the signal. Only Coromandel was hit by the incident.
Talking about Kavach, Jaya Verma Sinha said that Kavach is a system made in India. In the coming future, we will also be able to export it. This is related to the safety of the rail, so we have done its rigorous testing. The Railway Minister himself sat in the train and checked it. Installing this device on all lines and trains will take time and money. By around 8 in the evening, we will get 2 lines, on which the train will start moving slowly. The matter is under investigation. Prima facie it seems that there must have been some problem due to the signal.
Ministry of Railways says that our helpline number 139 is available. This is not a call center number, our senior executives are answering the calls and we are trying to connect as many people as possible. The family members of the injured or deceased can call us and we will ensure that they can meet them. We will take care of their travel and other expenses.
