Ashwini Vaishnaw Reveals Cause Of India’s Worst Rail Crash In 2 Decades

Balasore: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who reviewed the restoration work at Odisha triple train collision site here on Sunday, said the root cause of the accident has been identified.

“We have identified the root cause of the train accident and the people responsible for it. Accident happened due to a change in electronic interlocking. Right now our focus is on restoration,” he told ANI.

However, he made it clear that non-fitment of Kavach or anti-collision device had nothing to do with the accident.

Vaishnaw further said that the target is to finish the restoration work by Wednesday morning.

According to South Eastern Railway (SER), all 21 coaches, which capsized and derailed, have been grounded. Bogie/wheel sets and other components are now being cleared from the tracks. “Three goods wagons and locomotive grounding work is going on. Track linking and OHE work is going on parallel,” it said.

The 3-way crash, involving two passenger trains and a goods carriage, left 288 passengers dead and over 1,000 injured.

Also Read: Odisha Train Tragedy: List Of Deceased, Injured Uploaded On These Websites

The preliminary report had revealed that Coromandel Express entered the loop line instead of the main line and crashed into a goods train parked there just ahead of the Bahanaga Bazar railway station. The coaches of SMVP-Howrah Superfast Express capsized after crashing into the coaches of Coromandel Express that had scattered on the adjacent track after hitting the goods train.

Also Read: Preliminary Probe Into Odisha Rail Mishap: Coromandel Entered Loop Line, Hit Goods Train