Utkal Derailment: Standard Procedures May Have Been Neglected

Following the derailment of 14 coaches of the Puri-Haridwar-Kalinga Utkal Express, which killed 23 people, former Railway Board chairman Arunendra Kumar on Sunday said that prima facie, it appears that the driver of the train was not aware of the construction work and, therefore, the accident took place.

Speaking to ANI, Kumar demanded a thorough investigation into the matter.

“Prima facie it appears that the driver was not aware of the construction work going on. It is a matter of investigation now as to why such a thing took place. This is a tragic incident and a serious issue for railways. It feels as if the train was moving at its normal pace and immediately the driver saw something and slammed the brakes which led to the accident. It should be understood that there was work going on and the driver was not informed,” Kumar told ANI.

“These are ICF coaches and in these coaches such thing is possible. The new LHB design coaches don’t have this problem and even after derailment people are saved. The railway is also making sure that LHB coaches are used,” he added. (ANI)