West Bengal Train Collision: Kanchanjunga Express Reaches Sealdah Eight Hours Behind Schedule

KOLKATA: The plight of the passengers of the ill-fated Kanchanjunga Express, which was met with a tragic accident near New Jalpaiguri leaving nine people dead and several others injured, came to an end during the wee hours of Tuesday when the undamaged coaches of the train finally reached its destination Sealdah station, an official of the Eastern Railway informed.

The fatal accident unfolded when a goods train rammed into the passenger train at Rangapani, about 10 kilometres from New Jalpaiguri station, on a rain-soaked Monday morning in north Bengal.

The collision inflicted severe damage to at least four coaches in the rear of the train.

An official said that West Bengal Transport minister Snehasis Chakraborty, Calcutta Mayor Firhad Hakim and Divisional Railway Manager of Sealdah division Deepak Nigam went to the railway station to take stock of the situation and ensure smooth dispersal of the passengers and onward movement to their homes.

The Eastern railway official further informed that the Kolkata-bound 13174 Kanchanjunga Express, departing from Agartala and scheduled to reach its destination Sealdah Railway station at 7.20 pm on Monday, arrived at its destination eight hours behind schedule at 3.16 am.

The hapless passengers, who suffered a traumatic experience due to this unfortunate accident, were provided with medical facilities, food and water at various stations, including Malda town and also at Sealdah during the journey, the official added.

Furthermore, an official of the West Bengal government said that the passengers of this ill-fated train were provided with buses and small vehicles at Sealdah station so as to assist them in reaching their homes smoothly.

Meanwhile, train services resumed early this morning from the Phansidewa area of Darjeeling district following relentless restoration works on Monday night.

The devastating accident was caused allegedly due to the loco pilot of the goods train jumping a signal.

The loco pilot had reportedly missed the signal due to low visibility. This has raised serious questions regarding the reliability of the railways' automatic train protection system "Kavach" designed to prevent accidents caused by Signal Passed at Danger (SPAD).

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