New Delhi:

The Bengal train accident that took place this morning, heralded the return of a wrathful Opposition, fresh from its massively improved performance in the recently concluded general election. From former railway ministers Lalu Yadav and Mamata Banerjee to various leaders in the Congress and Sharad Pawar’s NCP, social media platforms have been full of angry accusations, demanding that the government take responsibility for the deaths of nine people and injuries to 50 others. Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw tried to stem the tide, saying this is “not the time for politics”.

Three coaches of Kolkata-bound Kanchanjunga Express derailed early this morning when a goods train slammed it from behind near Rangapani station, close to New Jalpaiguri. The casualties would have been higher had the parcel coach and the guard’s coach not been at the rear.

In the afternoon, Mr Vaishnaw reached the spot. “Rescue operation is over, our focus in now on restoration. This is not the time for politics,” he said, responding to questions on Opposition criticism.  

“This government is only interested in elections.. How to go for hacking… how to go for manipulation… They do not take care of amenities… bathrooms are dirty and there are dirty things in bedding… They do not take care of the railway staff,” said Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee shortly after.

Ms Banerjee handled the railway portfolio from 2009 to 2011 during the second term of the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government. She had also held the ministry for less than two years in the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The first off the block, though, was Rashtriya Janata Dal patriarch Lalu Yadav, who handled the railway portfolio during the first term of the UPA government led by Manmohan Singh. “Who is responsible for the continuous railway accidents in the country?”  read his post on X, formerly Twitter.

The Congress attack was spearheaded by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, who accused the BJP-led government of indulging in “utter mismanagement of the Railway Ministry”.

“As a responsible Opposition, it is our bounden duty to underline how the Modi Govt has systematically converted the Rail Ministry into a platform of ‘Camera-driven’ self-promotion! Today’s tragedy is yet another reminder of this stark reality,” he said.

Congress’s Rahul Gandhi underscored the point, saying, “As a responsible Opposition, we will keep raising questions on this scary negligence and make the government accountable.”

“The safety and travel of passengers in Indian Railways is now becoming a matter of concern,” read a rough translation of a Hindi post from Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

“The railway accidents that have happened in the last 10 years are the result of the central government’s negligence and mismanagement. We will continue to raise our voice against this,” senior Congress leader Deepender Hooda told reporters.

The official handle of the Congress responded with a list of the major train accidents over the last decade, with a break-up of the number of people killed and injured in each.

मोदी सरकार में हुए बड़े रेल हादसे

26 मई, 2014
गोरखधाम एक्सप्रेस
25 लोगों की मौत
50 से ज्यादा घायल

20 नवंबर, 2016
इंदौर-पटना एक्सप्रेस
150 लोगों की मौत
150 से ज्यादा लोग घायल

23 अगस्त, 2017
कैफियत एक्सप्रेस
70 लोग घायल

18 अगस्त, 2017
पुरी-हरिद्वार उत्कल एक्सप्रेस
23 लोगों…

— Congress (@INCIndia) June 17, 2024

Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party pointed out that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, then Union railway minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, had resigned taking responsibility for the Gasal train accident in 1999.

“But Ashwini Vaishnav in the Modi government, who had two major train accidents during his tenure, never once accepted the responsibility for the train accident… Railway account is only to promote Modi government by setting up selfie booth, not for safety of railway passengers,” the party posted on X.

Three railway staff members were among eight people killed when a goods train rear-ended the Silchar-Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express at 8.55 am today, railway officials have said.

The goods train, which reportedly jumped a signal, collided with the passenger train on the same track around 8.55 am. Three coaches of the express train derailed, with one of them climbing onto the locomotive of the goods rake because of the impact of the collision. 

At least five passengers and three railway staffers – the locomotive pilot and assistant locomotive pilot of the goods rake and the guard in the express train – were killed and nearly 50 others were injured. Officials said the casualties could have been much higher but for the fact that the last two coaches of the express train were the guard coach and the cargo van. 

Four coaches of the Kanchanjunga Express and the engine and five containers of the goods trains were involved in the collision, which occurred near Rangapani station, close to New Jalpaiguri. The rescue operation is now complete. 

The Kanchanjunga Express passes through the Chicken’s Neck, a narrow corridor that connects the Northeast with the rest of the country. At least 10 trains have been diverted as a result of the accident. 

Kavach Not Implemented

Speaking to NDTV, Sabyasachi De, the Chief Public Relations Officer of the Northeast Frontier Railway, said the cause of the accident is being investigated and while some trains have been diverted, movement will not be hampered because the Aluabari-Siliguri-New Jalpaiguri line is being used. 

Railway Board Chairperson Jaya Varma Sinha confirmed the deaths of the loco pilot and assistant loco pilot of the goods train and the guard of the express train. 

“The injured have been taken to the North Bengal Medical College in Siliguri. Our priority is to get them the best possible medical aid so that their lives can be saved and they can recover as fast as possible… The unaffected portion of the train is being sent to its destination for the benefit of the passengers. For the families of the victims, helpdesks and helpline numbers have been set up,” she said. 

Ms Sinha said an inquiry will be conducted and admitted that the Kavach anti-collision system has not been implemented on the route used by the train. She added, however, that it has been planned on the Delhi-Guwahati route. When implemented, this will cover at least some sections in Bengal and Assam. 

The absence of the much-vaunted indigenously developed Kavach system was also talked about after the triple train collision in Odisha’s Balasore in June last year, in which 293 people were killed and over 1,200 were injured.

How The System Works

Kavach, Hindi for armour, is an anti-collision system developed by the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) to achieve the goal of “zero accidents”. The technology is Safety Integrity Level 4 (SIL-4) certified – the highest certification level – meaning that there is a probability of just one error by Kavach in 10,000 years.

The system uses high-frequency radio communication and operates on the principle of continuous update of movement to prevent collisions. If it senses that an accident is about to happen, it automatically activates the brakes of the train on routes where the system is implemented. 

At Rs 50 lakh per km, it is also significantly lower than the cost of such technology used in other nations.

Officials said that the system has been put in place in 1,500 km of tracks so far and 3,000 km will be covered this year. The length of India’s railway network is over 1 lakh km. 

Helpline numbers released by the Railways: 033-23508794 and 033-23833326 (Sealdah) and 03612731621, 03612731622 and 03612731623 at Guwahati.

New Delhi:

Extending his condolences to the families of the people killed in this morning’s train accident in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that he has spoken to officials to take stock of the situation and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is also headed to the site. Describing the collision as saddening, the PM said he is praying for the speedy recovery of the injured. 

In a post on X, the Prime Minister wrote, “The railway accident in West Bengal is saddening. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to officials and took stock of the situation. Rescue operations are underway to assist the affected. The Railways Minister Shri @AshwiniVaishnaw Ji is on the way to the site of the mishap as well.”

The railway accident in West Bengal is saddening. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to officials and took stock of the situation. Rescue operations are underway to assist the affected. The Railways Minister Shri…

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 17, 2024

The Prime Minister’s Office has also announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the dead and Rs 50,000 to the injured. 

Eight people – including three Railway staffers – were killed and nearly 50 were injured after the Kanchanjunga Express, headed to Sealdah in Kolkata from Silchar in Assam was hit from the rear by a goods train near Rangapani station, close to New Jalpaiguri around 8.55 am. The goods train had overshot a signal. 

The New Jalpaiguri railway station is a busy one and is used by passengers from all states during their journey to Darjeeling.

Home Minister Amit Shah also condoled the deaths in the collision. 

पश्चिम बंगाल के न्यू जलपाईगुड़ी में हुआ रेल हादसा बहुत दुःखद है। इस दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण हादसे में जिन लोगों ने अपने परिजनों को खोया है, उनके प्रति संवेदनाएँ व्यक्त करता हूँ और घायलों के शीघ्र स्वस्थ होने की कामना करता हूँ।

পশ্চিমবঙ্গের নিউ জলপাইগুড়িতে ঘটা ট্রেন দুর্ঘটনাটি খুবই…

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) June 17, 2024

“The railway accident in New Jalpaiguri, West Bengal is very sad. I express my condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in this unfortunate accident and wish for the speedy recovery of the injured,” he posted in Hindi and Bengali on X.