Bagmati Express accident: Lives saved by luck of brakes..!?
It has been revealed that the luckily brake that was hit at the last moment was the reason why there was no major loss of life in the Thiruvallur Mysuru-Darbanga Bagmati Express train mishap. The Mysuru-Darbanga Baghmati Express train, which was heading towards bihar, met with a major accident at Kavarappettai in Tiruvallur district on friday night. A train traveling on the main line went into a loop line due to a wrong signal and collided with a goods train standing there at breakneck speed. Apart from the derailment of the coaches of the goods train, 12 coaches of the Bagmati Express also derailed. Passengers inside the train were also involved in the accident. Although there was no loss of life, more than 9 people were in the intensive care unit of the hospital with serious injuries. Others suffered minor injuries. Rescue operations were immediately accelerated and all the passengers involved in the accident were taken to various hospitals including chennai Stanley.
Others were brought to chennai Central Railway Station. As an alternative arrangement, the uninjured passengers were sent to bihar early on saturday by a special train. At Kavarpettai, where the accident occurred, the work of removing the trains involved in the accident is going on. Railways and rescue teams are working together to take the train coaches lying in the accident to the railway factory. Initial reports suggest that the cause of the accident may have been due to human error. The Southern Railway Department has also ordered a serious inquiry into the matter.
This train accident is similar to Balasore Gora train accident in Odisha. Fortunately, major casualties have been avoided. When the railway department talks about this, trains usually travel at a high speed of 130 kilometers per hour in the Kavarappettai area. 90 kmph on bends. The Bagmati Express train has also gone in the same way. But, to go on the main line, the Vidishaya train has entered the loop line. The main line signal may be switched to a loop line in case of maintenance work. It is necessary to investigate whether any such mistakes have been made.
The good thing about this is that if the express train was running at normal speed on the loop line, all the train coaches that would have had a major accident would have been destroyed. Fortunately, the speed of the train has been reduced from 130 kmph to 90 kmph and further reduced to 75 kmph. Bagmati Express employees did that and a major accident was averted. The brakes they applied at the last moment also reduced the accident rate. Hence, they also escaped with injuries. A serious investigation needs to be conducted in this regard," he said.