Source: https://zeenews.india.com/railways/kishan-reddy-flags-off-puri-kasi-ayodhya-bharat-gaurav-tourist-train-from-secunderabad-2600889.html
Publisher: Zee News
he triple train accident in Odisha on June 2, 2023 is touted as one of the world rail disasters in the world, with more than 280 confirmed deaths and 900 injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the incident site in the Balasore district of Odisha, and said the government will leave no stone unturned to punish the culprits. Earlier, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that a high-level probe has been initiated to ascertain the cause of the crash. While initial reports suggested that the Coromandel Express crashed head on with a goods train, it was later denied by the Indian Railways.
There have been all sorts of theories floated on various social media platforms detailing how exactly the crash took place. However, preliminary investigations have revealed that the Coromandel Express train involved in the rail tragedy in Odisha on Friday entered the loop line and crashed into a goods train parked there instead of the main line just ahead of the Bahanagar Bazar station, reported PTI quoting a source.
What Caused The Accident?
As per a report submitted to the Railway Board, the Coromandel Express travelling from Shalimar to Chennai Central was at a speed of 128 kmph, when possible signalling failure sent the train to the loop line instead of the main line just ahead of the Bahanagar Bazar railway station. The express train then rear ended into a parked goods train on the loop line, resulting in 4-5 coaches to scatter on the adjacent track.
Around the same time, the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express was running at a speed of 116 kmph. The coaches of Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express capsized after crashing into the coaches of Coromandel Express that had scattered on the adjacent track.
The loop lines of the Indian Railways are constructed in a station area — in this case, the Bahanagar Bazar station — to accommodate more trains to ease out the operations. The loop lines are generally 750 metres in length to accommodate full-length goods train with multiple engines, reported PTI.
An eyewitness to the incident, Anubhav Das, also told PTI that local authorities and railway officials had initially indicated that the train he was travelling on — Coromandel Express — had rammed into the goods train. However, none of these accounts was officially confirmed by the railways. While a thorough probe is underway, none of the authorities has so far talked about any possibility of a sabotage.
