What Is ‘Deep Screening’ Exercise Planned By Railways In South Eastern Zone Where Odisha Train Crash Happened?

New Delhi: The South Eastern Railway zone where the Odisha triple train accident took place on June 2 will be ‘deep screened.’ The railways have decided to spend Rs 370 crore on the project.

The exercise will be done using over 150 ballast cleaning machines (BCM), which improve track resilience and restore drainage. According to a News18 exclusive, it has accessed a tender document issued by the railways on Sunday, which details the project.

Dynamic track stabiliser and ballast regulating machines will subsequently be used to restore the stability of the track and redistribute track ballast. Other activities like lubrication of fish-plated rail joints and the opening and the refixing of joggled fish plates will also be done. A railway official told News18 that this is a normal repair-cum-safety exercise conducted by the Indian Railways to ensure tracks are safe and properly serviced.

Notably, the South Eastern Railway zone covers Odisha and West Bengal. The accident, which resulted in 291 death and left several injured is being probed both by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) as well as the CBI.