Odisha Train Accident: Emotional Railways Minister Vaishnaw Says Responsibility Not Over Yet

Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw got emotional while discussing the resumption of services after repair of the damaged tracks following the tragic triple-train accident that claimed the lives of 275 people and left over 1,000 injured.

He expressed his commitment to not only focusing on the immediate aftermath of the tragedy but also reuniting missing individuals with their anxious families.

Vaishnaw stated that helping families of missing persons' locate them quickly is the aim of the Railways, but their obligation does not end there.

"Our goal is to make sure missing persons' family members can find them as soon as possible...our responsibility is not over yet," Vaishnaw was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Vaishnaw was also seen praying in some videos as train services were restored on the down-line track of the accident site. The restoration work was completed in 51 hours since the incident, reports Hindustan Times.

A technical malfunction in the signalling system caused a tragic accident on Friday involving Bengaluru-Howrah Yashwantpur Superfast Express, Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, and a goods train.

According to a press briefing, the Railways Minister acknowledged that the root cause of the accident was associated with the the point machine and electronic interlocking system.

The cause of the devastating accident was identified as a malfunction in the electronic interlocking system, a sophisticated signal system responsible for preventing train collisions by managing their movement on the tracks.