Restoration work at Kavaraipettai train accident site intensified, work to be completed by October 13

Restoration of the railway lines at Kavaraipettai near here where the Mysuru-Darbhanga Bagmati express derailed after ramming into a goods train on Oct 11 night, has been intensified, and the section with four lines will be restored by early morning of October 13, the railway said on Saturday. The railway authorities have been racing against time to complete the work and restore rail traffic in the section.

Assisted by senior officials of Southern Railway, Commissioner of Railway Safety, Southern Circle, Bengaluru, A M Chowdhary initiated a thorough inspection of the track, points and blocks, signals, station electronic interlocking systems, control panels and other significant safety, signal and operational aspects, Chief Public Relations Officer, Southern Railway, M Senthamil Selvan, said in a release here. The Train No 12578 Mysuru - Darbhanga Bagmati Express collided with a stationary goods train at Kavaraipettai around 8.30 pm on October 11 and derailed.

Immediately after the accident the southern railway and Tamil Nadu government machinery swung into action to douse the flames of a blazing coach and in rescuing the passengers. The passengers were transported by buses to Ponneri and then to Chennai Central by two EMU specials. Over 1,800 passengers of the accident-hit train left for respective destination and to Darbhanga by a special train earlier in the day from Central Railway station here.

"After all the passengers arrived, they were boarded onto the passenger special towards Darbhanga, via Arakkonam, Renigunta and Gudur," a release here said. The passengers were provided with food packets and water and the special train left at 4.45 am, it said.

A high-level enquiry has been ordered into the incident, and at present the work to restore the track at the accident spot was going on in full swing, the railway authorities said.

"It was not supposed to stop here (Kavaraipettai station), so it was to pass through it. After leaving Chennai, green signals were given for this train. The driver was following the signals correctly, but the train should have taken the main line. Instead, it took the loop line at the switch, which is where the error occurred," R N Singh, General Manager of Southern Railway, said.

The reasons for this were a matter of investigation. Seven to eight people have suffered injuries, and there are no casualties, Singh told reporters. Earlier, before boarding the special train, the passengers of the Darbhanga express were screened by the railway doctors at a medical camp held at the Central station. Meanwhile, the southern railway has rescheduled trains passing through this section.

Track restoration work at the accident spot was going on in full swing and the General Manager and Additional General Manager, Southern Railway, and Principal Heads of departments and other officials of railways are at site overseeing the work, a release here said.

Terming the collision as “an unfortunate incident” the railway said of the four lines at Kavaraipettai, the UP line and UP Loop line were expected to be restored tonight while two other lines were expected to be restored by early morning tomorrow. The key agencies, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services Department, state police, RPF, and GRP personnel who have been mobilised for the rescue operations, were actively working at the site. More than 500 personnel are on the ground, contributing to the rescue effort. To ensure smooth and quick execution of work, the Southern Railway has deployed 5 heavy earth movers, 3 JCBs, 140-ton crane (2 numbers) from Tondiarpet Heavy Duty Re-railing equipment for re-railing the derailed coach. Five medical relief teams led by Additional Divisional Medical Officers, Chief Nursing Superintendent, hospital assistants, pharmacists and other paramedical staff were at the site. Some coaches were re-railed while other coaches which could not, were removed from the mainline track to facilitate the restoration of the track.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin visited the injured passengers undergoing treatment at the Stanley hospital here and consoled them.

Recalling the accident in Tiruvallur district last night, a passenger said, “We were on the train when suddenly there was a loud noise, and no one understood what had happened.” “After about five minutes, when we looked outside, we saw the train had overturned, and there was complete chaos. Some coaches were on fire, and others had derailed. We quickly went to a nearby local station. We are safe and unharmed," he said. According to a release from the state government, the first seven coaches of the passenger train derailed due to the impact of the collision. “A fire broke out in one of the coaches and it was put out. There was no loss of life in this accident,” it said.

Three coaches of the freight train were damaged. Three fire tenders were pressed into service to put out the flames and to rescue the passengers. In addition, 28 ambulances and three medical teams were also involved in rescue work at the accident site.

Learning about the accident, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin directed Minister Nasser, Tiruvallur district collector, and police officials to involve in rescue operations.