Ill-fated Coromandel Express set to resume services today days after dreadful accident

The railway lines were restored 51 hours after the horrifying triple train accident in Odisha's Balasore involving two passenger trains and a good train.

New Delhi: After the harrowing train accident that resulted in the loss of at least 275 lives and left over 1000 people injured, the ill-fated Coromandel Express is scheduled to resume its services on Wednesday, the official said. "The Coromandel Express is ready to recommence its services from Wednesday," said Chief Public Relations Officer of Railway Aditya Kumar Chaudhary.

The accident occurred when the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express collided with a stationary freight train, causing several coaches to derail onto the adjacent track near Bahanaga Railway Station in Balasore on June 2. Around 10-12 coaches of Coromandel Express derailed near Bahanaga Railway station and 'infringed' into the opposite track.

Subsequently, the Howrah Express, travelling from Yesvantpur to Howrah, collided with the affected carriages at high speed, resulting in further derailment. Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw, on Sunday, said the accident occurred due to a "change in electronic interlocking".

Electronic interlocking is an arrangement of signal apparatus that prevents conflicting movements between trains through an arrangement of tracks. It is basically a safety measure to prevent signals from being changed in improper sequence. The aim of this system is that no train gets the signal to proceed unless the route is proven safe.

On Monday, the Howrah-Puri Vande Bharat Express train crossed the restored railway track in Odisha's Balasore hours after the passenger train services were resumed in the district. The train services were affected in Balasore after the Odisha triple train accident. Meanwhile, Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday evening waved at the crew of a goods train and prayed for a safe journey, as services resumed after 51 hours of a train accident in Balasore.

"Services on both tracks have been restored. Normal train services on both lines have now been restored, 51 hours after the accident," said Ashwini Vaishnaw. (ANI)