4 Days After Triple Train Crash, Coromandel Express Crosses Bahanaga In Odisha’s Balasore

Bhubaneswar: Four days after the horrific triple train crash, Chennai-Shalimar Coromandel Express crossed Bahanaga Bazar accident site in Odisha’s Balasor district on the down track on Tuesday.

The June 2 accident, involving Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and a goods train,  left 278 dead and over 1000 injured. Three coaches of Coromandel Express and two of Bengaluru-Howrah Express that collided into each other were among the worst hit and saw the maximum casualties, reports said.

The passenger trains were travelling in opposite directions on tracks two and three while lines 1 and 4 had goods trains parked on them. The Coromandel Express travelling at 128kmph left its line and entered a loop line, smashing into the back of a stationary goods train. The impact caused 21 carriages to derail, throwing them across the adjacent tracks. At least three coaches of the Coromandel jumped onto the parallel track and hit the tail end of Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express.

Since the goods train was loaded with iron ore, the Coromandel train took the entire impact on collision. The engine and some coaches of the passenger train went over the freight train, according to authorities.

Within 72 hours of the tragedy, the two main lines passing through Bahanaga Bazar were restored early on Monday morning and 70 trains, including, the Howrah-Puri Vande Bharat Express, passed through the area at low speed of around 10 kilometres per hour. The first train ran on the “down line” at 10:40 pm on Sunday night, while the “up-line” resumed at 00:05 hours on Monday.

Meanwhile, a 10-member CBI team has reached Bahanaga and started investigation. The CBI officials are examining the accident site, tracks, the signalling room, control room, an official said.

The Railway Board recommended a CBI probe, suspecting ‘physical tampering’ of the system of the Bahanaga station. “There was a green signal on the main line. The signal is usually green when all the pre-conditions required for the signal to go green are perfect. If any of the pre-conditions does not meet, technically the signal can never turn green, unless and until anyone physically tampers with the signal system. But, from the data records, it shows that when Coromandel Express was reaching the station, the signal was green, but the train moved to the loop line,” said Khurda Road division DRM Rinkesh.

All eyes are now on the twin investigations by CBI and CCRS, which are expected to unravel the exact reason behind the accident.