4 rail accidents in less than 12 hours, 7 killed

International Desk: Four train accidents in less than 12 hours which killed seven people and left at least 11 injured has again raised serious questions over the railways safety record and its competence to run safe train operations.

There were two derailments-- one in Uttar Pradesh's Chitrakoot district+ that killed three people and another in Odisha when Paradeep-Cuttack goods train jumped the rails where no deaths were reported.

In another accident, a local passenger train hit a Bolero vehicle at an unmanned crossing, killing four and injuring two people near Amethi in UP.

In the fourth incident, the engine of Jammu-Patna Archana Express separated from the train near Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.

The derailments could not be averted despite railway dispensation's "over-cautious" approach of deliberately slowing down trains to ensure more "blocks (time period)" for maintenance and track renewal works which is delaying most of the trains causing inconvenience to passengers.
Thirteen coaches of the Vasco Da Gama-Patna Express derailed at 4:18 am, soon after leaving platform of the Manikpur railway station in Chitrakoot district, about 250 km from Lucknow, killing at least three and injuring nine.

An official said the casualties can rise to six. "The train was running at the speed of 90 kmph as there was no stoppage at Manikpur. The way 13 coaches derailed, I can only say the passengers were very lucky," said an official.

Source: Times of India

risingbd/Dhaka/November 25, 2017/A K Azad