Train services on the Chennai-Howrah route were disrupted for over 18 hours after an incident on Sunday night. However, they resumed on Monday after restoration work on the affected lines. More than 50 trains were canceled and several others were diverted as a result of the accident.
The Railways reported that 13 people died and over 50 were injured when the -Rayagada Passenger special train rear-ended the Visakhapatnam-Palasa Passenger Express around 7.10 pm on Sunday, causing multiple coaches to derail. The collision occurred between Kantakapalle and Alamanda railway stations.
Biswajit Sahu, chief public relations officer (CPRO) of East Coast Railway, stated, “Both the up and down lines of the track have been repaired, and a goods train was allowed to run on the down line while the Bengaluru-bound Prashanti Express passed through the accident-affected line. We hope train services will gradually return to normal.”
Sahu also mentioned that more than 800 people were involved in the restoration work, using equipment such as eight Poclain machines and one 140-tonne crane. Rescue teams from Odisha and Andhra Pradesh assisted the NDRF in the rescue and restoration efforts.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) has arrived at the accident site to begin an investigation.
Following a preliminary inquiry, top Railways officials stated that the driver of the Rayagada-bound train that collided from the rear had missed the signal, attributing the incident to “human error.”
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S expressed concern over the train collisions and urged the Prime Minister and Railways Minister to establish a high-level committee to thoroughly examine the different aspects related to the incidents.
In a post on X, Reddy raised questions about the incident, asking why the braking system, alert system, signalling, and communication systems failed in the collision between the running trains.
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