Odisha Train Accident: Ticketless Passengers Too Will Receive Compensation, Says Railways

Railway spokesperson Amitabh Sharma said that ticketless passengers too will receive compensation in line with a Supreme Court order.

Restoration work underway at the site of Friday's triple train accident in Odisha's Balasore district.

Source : PTI

Ticketless travellers onboard the ill-fated passenger trains involved in the Odisha train accident will also receive compensation, the railways said on Sunday. As per officials, the decision is in line with a Supreme Court order. "Irrespective of the passengers being ticketless (or not), they will receive compensation," railway spokesperson Amitabh Sharma said, reported PTI.  

275 people were reported dead and over a thousand injured after three trains — Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express, SMVT Bengaluru–Howrah SF Express, and a freight train — collided after Coromandel Express derailed near Bahanaga railway station in Odisha’s Balasore district on Friday night. 

The Railways board on Sunday said that the goods train that was involved in the Odisha triple train accident was carrying iron ore which led to the huge number of casualties and injuries.

Jaya Varma Sinha, Member of Operation and Business Development, Railway Board said that the freight train did not derail but since it was carrying iron ore, the maximum impact was on Coromandel Express.

She added that issue with the signalling was identified as the cause of the accident as per the preliminary findings. 

Meanwhile, Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena told news agency ANI that the revised death toll stood at 275, instead of 288, out of which 88 have been identified. 

“The death toll is 275 & not 288. The data was checked by the DM and it was found that some bodies have been counted twice, so the death toll has been revised to 275. Out of 275, 88 bodies have been identified,” he said. 

Out of 1,175 injured, 793 have been discharged after treatment, he added.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday announced free bus service to Kolkata from Puri, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack till the restoration of normal train services on the Balasore route. Around 50 buses will operate daily to provide transport facility to Kolkata, said the state government in a statement.