Odisha: Train services resume on both lines in Balasore; Vaishnaw prays for safe journey

Passenger train movement too was reinstated on Monday morning, after the goods train traffic resumed late on Sunday night in the restored section of down and up lines in Bahanaga Bazar station in Odisha's Balasore district.

Balasore (Odisha): Traffic on both down and up lines were restored late into Sunday night with Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw waving at the crew of a goods train and praying for safety as the train chugged out, in in the ill-fated section where a triple train crash left 275 dead and more than 1,000 injured. Later on Monday morning, passenger trains were operated on the section.

The traffic was restored 51 hours later. The Union Railway minister said the work on the reconstruction of the damaged tracks started soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent out instructions to that effect, ANI quoted him as saying on Sunday night.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave his advice and instructions on the restoration of the railway tracks. The whole team (involved in the restoration work) laboured diligently and systematically to fix the damaged rails for the resumption of services," he said. The minister said both the lines were reconstructed and tested before services resumed, 51 hours after one of the country's deadliest train accidents since Independence.

"Services on both tracks have been restored. Normal train services on both lines have now been restored, 51 hours after the accident," Vaishnaw said. The trains involved in the crash include the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train at Bahanaga Bazar station in the Balasore district.

Vaishnaw said the accident occurred due to a "change in electronic interlocking," which is an arrangement in signal apparatus that prevents conflicting movements between trains through an arrangement of tracks. The safety measure aims to prevent signals from being changed in improper sequence. No train gets the signal to proceed unless the route is proven safe, according to its thumb rule.

Death toll reconciliation-Odisha Chief Secy Pradeep Jena cleared the air about revising the death toll. "The death toll from the accident had been revised from 288 to 275, after it was determined that some bodies had been counted twice," he said.

"The death toll is 275, and not 288 as reported earlier. The toll was re-checked by the district magistrate (DM) and it was found that some bodies had been counted twice. Hence the toll was revised to 275, of which 88 bodies have been identified," Jena told ANI. "Of the 1,175 injured, 793 were discharged after treatment," he added.

Over 1000 workers were pressed into service for restoration of the damaged tracks, the ministry stated, adding that more than 7 earth movers, two Accident Relief Trains and 3-4 Railway and Road Cranes are deployed for the purpose as well. (with Agency inputs)