Track laying work done on one of the two main lines, says Railway Minister

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Sunday that track laying had begun on one of the two main lines at the site of the Balasore train accident in Odisha.

“PM Modi visited the accident site and met patients at Baleswar District Hospital yesterday and has given instructions according to which the work is being done. Restoration work is underway. Out of the two main lines, track laying work has been done on one of them and is underway on the other,” Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters.

According to the Railway Minister, the accident that killed 288 passengers was caused by a change in electronic interlocking. So far, 288 people have died and over 1,000 have been injured in the Balasore train accident, which involved two passenger trains and a goods carriage.

According to Vaishnaw, the commissioner of railway safety has investigated the matter and identified the cause of the incident as well as those responsible.

“The commissioner of railway safety has investigated the matter and let the investigation report come but we have identified the cause of the incident and the people responsible for it… It happened due to a change in electronic interlocking,” Vaishnaw told media.

The Railway Minister went on to say that the focus right now is on the restoration, with the goal of finishing the work by Wednesday morning.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi inspected the site yesterday. We will try to restore the track today. All bodies have been removed. Our target is to finish the restoration work by Wednesday morning so that trains can start running on this track,” Vaishnaw added.

According to the preliminary report, the three-way accident involved the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Coromandel Express, and a goods train on three separate tracks at Bahanaga Bazar Station in Balasore district. In the Friday evening accident, 17 coaches of these two passenger trains were derailed and severely damaged.