New Delhi: Coromandel Express undertook its first journey to Chennai from West Bengal’s Shalimar station on Wednesday after the devastating railway accident on June 2. The horrific triple train crash in Odisha killed 288 people and injured over 1,100.
"The Coromandel Express is ready to recommence its services from Wednesday," Chief Public Relations Officer of Railway Aditya Kumar Chaudhary said earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, train services have resumed on the repaired tracks, and are running normally. "Services on both tracks have been restored. Normal train services on both lines have now been restored, 51 hours after the accident," said Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The devastating three-train crash occurred at 7 pm on June 2, when the Coromandel Express collided with a stationary goods train, resulting in the derailment of several coaches. During the incident, a few coaches of the Coromandel Express toppled over the rear coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah Express, which happened to be passing by simultaneously.
It is to be noted that in the aftermath of the Balasore triple train crash, three agencies, namely the CBI, Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), and Government Railway Police of Balasore, have initiated an investigation.
On the other hand, Rinkesh Roy, the Khurda Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), expressed suspicion of external interference with the equipment, as per reports. This alleged tampering may have caused the Coromandel Express to enter the loop line and collide with the iron-laden goods train.
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.