Restoration work at Kavaraipettai train accident site intensified, work to be completed by Oct 13

Chennai: Restoration of the railway lines at Kavaraipettai near here where the Mysuru-Darbhanga Bagmati express derailed after ramming into a goods train on Oct 11 night, has been intensified, and the section with four lines will be restored by early morning of October 13, the railway said on Saturday.

Terming the collision as “an unfortunate incident” the railway said of the four lines at Kavaraipettai, the UP line and UP Loop line were expected to be restored tonight while two other lines were expected to be restored by early morning tomorrow.

“The restoration efforts are being carried out with maximum urgency and precision to ensure the safety of tracks, signals and other operational aspects,” said Southern Railway Chief Public Relations Officer M Senthamil Selvan.

The Southern Railway was working in close collaboration with all relevant authorities and agencies to handle the situation with the utmost care, he said in a release here.

The key agencies including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services Department, state police, RPF, and GRP personnel who have been mobilised for the rescue operations, were actively working at the site. More than 500 personnel are on the ground, contributing to the rescue effort.

To ensure smooth and quick execution of work, the Southern Railway has deployed 5 heavy earth movers, 3 JCBs, 140-ton crane (2 numbers) from Tondiarpet Heavy Duty Re-railing equipment for re-railing the derailed coach. Accident Relief Train from Tondiarpet Marshalling Yard, a self-propelled accident relief train (SPART) equipped with emergency equipment, medical facilities, communication systems and skilled personnel for fast-tracking rescue and relief operations have also been deployed, he said.

Five medical relief teams led by Additional Divisional Medical Officers, Chief Nursing Superintendent, hospital assistants, pharmacists and other paramedical staff were at the site.

Some coaches were re-railed while other coaches which could not, were removed from the mainline track to facilitate the restoration of the track.

“Lighting arrangements and videography are being coordinated by Southern Railway's mechanical and electrical departments to ensure continuous monitoring of operations. The relief efforts are being conducted under close supervision of the General Manager to ensure timely completion,” the release stated.