Lucknow, Jan 3 (Inditop.com) Rail services were restored between Delhi and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh Sunday, a day after 10 people were killed when two trains collided in Kanpur district, an official said.
“Initially, we managed to restore the uplink track and later the down track was also restored,” additional divisional railway manager (Allahabad) D.K. Singh told reporters.
At around 9 a.m. Saturday, the Gorakhdham Express collided with the stationary Prayagraj Express near Panki railway station, some 90 km from Lucknow. According to officials, the collision had affected the schedule of 24 trains.
“For the time being, we have imposed some speed restriction for the trains passing through Panki railway station, near which the two trains collided,” Singh said.
Kanpur Deputy Inspector General B.P. Jogdand and railway officials had told IANS that eight women and two men died in the horrific accident. While 19 passengers were seriously injured, 24 suffered minor injuries, officials said.
The impact of the collision badly damaged three coaches of the Prayagraj Express, which was headed for Allahabad from New Delhi. The Gorakhdham Express was running between New Delhi and Gorakhpur.
Passengers of the Prayagraj Express had complained of a delay in rescue operations at the accident site. “It was after nearly 45 minutes that the railway rescue team arrived at the spot to carry out relief work,” Ajai Anand, a passenger on the Prayagraj Express, told reporters in Kanpur.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Murli Manohar Joshi, who was travelling to Allahabad on the Prayagraj Express, Saturday told reporters in Kanpur: “When the accident occurred, I experienced a massive jerk… Initially, I thought the jerk was because the train had started to move, but then my guard told me that an accident had occurred.”
The railways have announced a compensation of Rs.500,000 for the families of those killed in the accident and Rs.100,000 each for the critically injured. The other injured passengers would receive Rs.10,000 as compensation.
Two other train accidents also occurred in Uttar Pradesh Saturday. In Etawah, the Lichchavi Express rammed into the Magadh Express near Sarai Bhupat railway station, some 300 km from Lucknow. The driver of the Lichchavi Express was critically injured.
The third accident, a minor one, took place in Allahabad, about 200 km from here. Four people received minor injuries when the Saryu Express collided with a railway maintenance trolley.
