No Train To Stop At Bahanaga Bazar Till CBI Completes Its Probe Into Triple Crash In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: While train services have somewhat normalised after restoration of tracks, no passenger train will halt at Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Odisha’s Balasore district, which witnessed a deadly triple-train accident on June 2, till the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) completes its probe into the tragedy, officials said on Saturday.

South Eastern Railway chief public relations officer, Aditya Kumar Chaudhary, told the media that the CBI has sealed the station after seizing the log book, relay panel and other equipment. “As relay interlocking panel has been sealed prohibiting access of the staff at the station to the most important part of the signalling system, no passenger or goods train would stop at Bahanaga Bazar till further notice,” Choudhary told Hindustan Times.

According to the report, 170 trains pass through the Bahanaga Bazar Railway station on a daily basis and only seven passenger trains, including Bhadrak-Balasore MEMU, Howrah Bhadrak Baghajatin Fast Passenger, Kharagpur Khurda road fast passenger, stop there everyday for a minute.

Choudhary further informed that of the 1,208 affected passengers, ex gratia and compensation have been provided in 709 cases and the remaining are under process.

Altogether 2,296 passengers were travelling in Howrah Superfast Express and Coromandel Express, which collided following the derailment of the latter after ramming a stationary goods train on June 2 evening.