Darjeeling: A goods train hit the Kanchenjunga Express (13174) from behind at 8:55 am on Monday in Darjeeling, West Bengal. News agency PTI has reported 15 people dead and 60 injured in the accident.
Railway Board Chairman and CEO Jai Verma has confirmed the death of 5 people and 25 people injured. At the same time, Eastern Railway CPRO Kaushik Mitra quoted the North-East Frontier Railway as saying that 8 people, including 2 loco pilots and a guard, have died.
According to the Railway Board Chairman, the loco pilot of the goods train overshot the signal. Due to which it collided with the Kanchenjunga Express. The guard’s compartment, general compartment have been damaged in this accident. Army and NDRF teams have completed the rescue work. The restoration work of the rail route has started.
Kaushik Mitra said that two parcels and an SLR coach were attached at the end of the Kanchenjunga Express train. There were no passengers in it. Five coaches of the train were damaged. At 12:40 pm, a special train has left for Sealdah. Most of the passengers in the train were from Malda and Bolpur. Train service has been started on a single line.
Sources indicate that there were signal issues three hours prior to the accident.
According to the automatic signaling system between Ranipatra station and Chattarhat junction was non-functional since 5:50 am. The Kanchenjunga Express left Rangapani station at 8:27 am but was halted due to signal problems.
In such cases, station masters issue a TA 912 Written Authority allowing drivers to bypass red signals. The Ranipatra station master had issued this authority to the Kanchenjunga Express. The freight train departed Rangapani at 8:42 am and subsequently collided with the express train.
Investigations are required to determine whether the freight train also received TA 912 or if the loco pilot failed to adhere to signal malfunction protocols.
Under another scenario, railway regulations mandate that drivers stop at each faulty signal for one minute and reduce speed to 10 km/h.
Updates related to the event…
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for those who lost their lives, Rs 2.50 lakh for the seriously injured and Rs 50,000 for those with minor injuries. Apart from this, assistance of Rs 2 lakh has been announced from the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund to the people killed in the accident and Rs 50 thousand to the injured.
Sabyasachi Dey, CPRO of North-East Frontier Railway, said – The track on which the accident has occurred will be made operational by night. Down Kanchenjunga Express will also run at night. Due to the accident, 19 trains have been diverted.
Ashwini Vaishnaw visits train accident site
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw took stock of the situation at the Kanchanjunga Express accident site in West Bengal’s New Jalpaiguri on Monday.
Vaishnaw rode pillion on a motorbike for some distance to the accident site as the road was narrow for bigger vehicles to move
Railway has issued helpline numbers
List of trains cancelled by NFR
Following the Kanchanjunga Express train accident in West Bengal’s New Jalpaiguri, the North Frontier Railway has cancelled 19 trains in the New Jalpaiguri, Siliguri Junction, Bagdogra and Aluabari Road routes..
These include:
New Jampaiguri-Udaipur city weekly express
Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani Express
Agartala-Rani Kamalapati special express
Sealdah-New Alipurduar Padatik Express
Nagercoil Junction-Dibrugarh special train
Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express
Guwahati-Howrah Saraighat Express
Kamakhya-Anand Vihar Northeast Express
Guwahati-Bengaluru express
New Jampaiguri-Howrah Vande Bharat Express
Kamakhya-Gaya Express
Guwahati-Okha Express
New Tinsukia-Tambaram Express
Bamanhat-Sealdah Uttar Banga Express
Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Express
