The ill-fated train, Coromandel Express, that derailed in Odisha's Balasore, is scheduled to be back again on the same track on Wednesday, June 7. According to the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC)-- a public sector undertaking that provides ticketing, catering, and tourism services for the Indian Railways-- train number 12842 will start its journey from Chennai Central at 7 AM and will terminate at Shalimar the very next day at around 10:40 am.
The journey is vital amid the fact that the train had met a fatal accident on June 2 in Odisha, killing at least 275 people.
On the other hand, train number 12841, which runs every day, will resume its return journey from Shalimar to Chennai on June 7 from its scheduled time of 15:20 and terminate at around 16.50 (the next day).
Signalling failure killed 275 people: Railway official
Speaking to the news agency ANI, Jaya Varma Sinha, a member of Operation and Business Development, Railway Board, asserted that she spoke to the drivers of the ill-fated trains and added they moved the trains after getting a green signal. She said the driver of Coromandel Express received the green signal to enter a loop line on which a goods train was stationary.
According to Sinha, the data, which she claimed to be highly sensitive, also reflected the same. "I have seen rumours being spread about overriding of signals and speed. But, these are just rumours. Both the drivers said they moved the train after getting a green signal and were moving at a speed of 128 km per hour," she said.
Accident site is a high-speed zone
Further, the senior rail official said that the route where the accident occur is a "high-speed" zone where the drivers are prescribed to run at a speed of a maximum of 130 kmph. "As per the speedometer,-- a gauge that measures and displays the instantaneous speed of a vehicle-- both the trains were running at a speed of 128 kmph," noted Sinha.
"Safety is the top priority for Railways. We are making sure that the evidence does not get tampered ad that any witness does not get affected," said Sinha. "Only one train was involved in the accident, it was the Coromandel Express. The Coromandel Express crashed with the goods train and its coaches went on top of the goods train. It was an iron ore-laden train, a heavy train, therefore the entire impact of the collision was on the train," she said.
