Indian Railways has declared both the tracks on the Howrah-Chennai route as fit for resumption of services. The move comes after the tracks got severely damaged in the wake of the deadliest train crash in the history of the country.
The South Eastern Railway (SER) zone has successfully conducted the test run on the newly built track near Odisha’s Balasore.
The first train was run on Down Line at 22.40 hrs on June 04, 2023 and the first train was run on Up line at 00.05 hrs on June 05, 2023. The effort is going on to normalise the rail traffic as early as possible.
In a statement, the SER said, “Normal traffic movement has resumed on both the lines.” It further added that the restoration work has been completed at the accident site.
Earlier, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that the work is in full swing to begin the normal traffic from Wednesday.
The train service on one of the busiest sections was affected after the derailment of Train no. 12841 Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express and Train no. 12864 Sir M Visvesvaraya-Howrah Superfast Express near Bahanaga Bazar Railway station at around 18.55 hrs on June 02, 2023.
Reason behind the tragic accident:-
The Railways has identified the reason behind the horrific accident. According to officials, the accident occurred due to a change in electronic interlocking.
On Sunday, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the ministry has identified the reasons and people responsible for it. The minister, who has been at the accident site since Saturday, was closely monitoring the restoration work along with senior officials.
CBI to probe rail Odisha rail accident:-
In addition to the Commissioner of Railway Safety, South Eastern Circle inquiry, the Railway Board has proposed a CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) probe.