Bihar train accident: Delhi-bound up line restored, down line work underway

Bihar : The Delhi-bound up line at the accident site near Raghunathpur railway station in Bihar’s Buxar district has been restored and work is underway to repair the down line, the East Central Railway said on Friday.

The up line is ready for limited movement of trains but normal movement on this route will be allowed only after restoration of the down line. Four people were killed and several people were injured after 23 coaches of North East Express, on the way to Assam from Delhi, derailed near Raghunathpur railway station around 9.53 pm on Wednesday.

Eastern Railway Chief Public Relation Officer (CPRO) Birendra Kumar told PTI, “Up line at the accident site is fit in all respect. The down line will soon be restored. We have teams working round the clock… restoration work is being carried out on a war footing.” He said most of the debris has been cleared off the tracks.

Most of the injured are undergoing treatment in Buxar town and neighbouring Ara. A total of 25 people have been admitted to AIIMS Patna and of them, nine have been discharged, while 16 are undergoing treatment.

“No one is in critical condition,” AIIMS Patna Executive Director Dr Gopal Krushna Pal said. Indian Railways on Thursday announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the next of the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured. The Bihar government has also announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 4 lakh each for the next of the kin of the deceased.

The Railways has ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident. Initial investigation found that the derailment was possibly caused due to fault in the tracks. Meanwhile, Railways cancelled eight trains and diverted nine others on Friday because of the restoration works.