Train services on the Gonda-Gorakhpur route of the North East Railway after yesterday’s derailment of 15904 Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express, will be normalised by this evening informed General Manager Soumya Mathur here on Friday.
CRS investigation into the train mishap has started. Samples of the soil and ballast have been collected from the spot and sent for testing. Many leads and angles have been included in the investigation.
Meanwhile, the death toll in the accident rose to four after a critically injured passenger succumbed to his injury last night while an unidentified body was recovered under an overturned AC bogie in the morning.
Among the four deceased, Araria-Bihar resident Saroj Kumar Singh and an unknown person died on the spot whereas Rahul Kumar, a native of Dhaneti, Aliganj-Bareilly, traveling in the train from Chandigarh, was referred to Lucknow as his condition deteriorated during the amputation of his legs. However, he died on Jarwal Road on Thursday night while on his way to Lucknow.
Under the supervision of GM-DRM of North Eastern Railway, over 800 railway workers are engaged in the repair of the tracks after removing the derailed coaches since last evening. North East Railway GM Soumya Mathur and DRM Aditya Kumar, along with Principal Chief Engineer Ranjan Yadav, members of the Railway Board, and the research team of RDSO, have been camping at the spot since last evening.
Railway Board Chairperson Jaya Sinha Verma reached Gonda last night and gathered information that could help in finding the cause of the accident. He inquired about the well-being of the injured.
Of a total 33 injured, 31 are undergoing treatment at CHC Mankapur, Maharaja Devi Baksh Singh Medical College, Gonda, and a private hospital in the city. Apart from this, two other injured, who were referred from Gonda to Lucknow in critical condition, were operated upon at the Trauma Center, Lucknow.
A total of 14 coaches of Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express derailed near Pikaura village between Motiganj-Jhilahi railway station between Gonda and Mankapur at 14:37 hrs. Of these, four AC coaches overturned.
North Eastern Railway General Manager Soumya Mathur said many teams have been continuously engaged in relief and rescue work since the accident took place on Thursday.
She said rail operations would be completely restored by Friday evening. The up-line has been already repaired this morning, while the down line is expected to be repaired by evening. Damaged bins were removed using cutters and JCB machines, she said.
The GM NE said the work of laying the railway tracks uprooted in the accident is going on at a fast pace. Electric lines and poles are being arranged while straightening the entire railway track.
The Railways have ensured a special train on Thursday night for the passengers of the ill-fated train to travel to their destination. More than three dozen trains have been diverted or cancelled due to the accident.