West Bengal Train Accident: Train services restored at accident site in Rangapani

Indian Railway engineers inspect the accident site of Kanchenjunga Express passenger train at Rangapani. Pic/ PTI

Train services were fully restored on both up and down lines at Rangapani near West Bengal's New Jalpaiguri station on Tuesday, a day after a goods train rammed into the Kanchanjunga Express killing 10 people, reported PTI.

Electrical traction was restored at the accident site and trains with electric locomotives have started plying on the stretch from Tuesday afternoon, Divisional Railway Manager of Katihar S Kumar said.

He said that trains were moving through the accident spot with speed restrictions, following repair of the tracks and other components.

Extensive damage was caused to tracks and electric traction poles due to the Monday morning collision of the two trains, officials said.

Operations on the down line using both electric and diesel locomotives were restored on Monday night, reported PTI. Meanwhile, in the up line, diesel locomotive-run train services were restarted on Tuesday morning.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, while visiting the accident site on Monday evening, had said that since it is the main line connecting the northeast with the rest of the country, focus was to restore services on the route at the earliest.

The Railway minister announced an ex-gratia amount of ₹10 Lakh in case to kins of deceased victims, ₹2.5 Lakh towards grievous and ₹50,000 for minor injuries.

West Bengal train accident: Goods train's loco pilot "disregarded signal", says report

The loco pilot of the goods train that collided with the Kanchanjunga Express passenger train in Darjeeling, West Bengal, disobeyed the signal, causing the accident on Monday morning that claimed the lives of at least eight people, including the pilot, a railway top official told ANI.

"The accident happened today morning. Kanchanjunga Express was travelling from Agartala to Sealdah. The train was hit in the rear end by a goods train which disregarded the signal," Jaya Varma Sinha Chairman & CEO Railway Board told ANI.

She said that there was extensive damage to the guard's compartment located at the back of the passenger train. According to the official, there were two parcel wagons positioned between the guard's rearmost coach and a general compartment, which help to reduce passenger casualties