Opposition parties in India have demanded the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw after a stampede at New Delhi railway station killed 18 people. They blamed the government for "gross mismanagement" and accused them of "covering up" the death toll. The stampede occurred on Saturday night as passengers rushed to board trains for the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj. The Congress, the Left, Trinamool Congress, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal have all criticized the government's handling of the situation, while BJP leaders have defended the government. The incident has highlighted the failure of the Railways and the government to make adequate arrangements for the large number of devotees travelling to Prayagraj.
Based on the complaint filed by the rail staff police has lodged an FIR against unknown persons regarding the matter.
The sabotage attempt came to light before a train could pass through the affected track between Kosamba and Kim railway stations as a lineman detected the damage and alerted the railway authorities in the early hours of the day, officials said.
Investigators found that the aircraft, a Boeing 777-300ER, was flying at its cruise altitude of 37,000 ft south of Myanmar and near an area of developing storms in the afternoon when turbulence started to cause fluctuations between +0.44g and +1.57g for 19 seconds.
The first train on the section where the accident happened in Balasore started its journey at around 10.40 pm on Sunday, 51 hours after the horrific crash which killed 275 people, officials said.
From highways connecting once-remote regions to aviation networks carrying millions, India's infrastructure story is one of transformation.
The jawan said he used his mobile phone light to locate hurt and trapped passengers and took them to safety.
Gandhi alleged the increase in railway accidents in the last 10 years is a "direct result of the mismanagement and negligence of the Modi government, which has resulted in loss of lives and property of passengers on a daily basis".
14 coaches of the Indore-Patna Express was derailed near Pukhraya in Kanpur Dehat district on November 20. The findings showed that it was a "conspiracy".
"The team of senior officials have found that the mechanical parts of the interlocking system were opened. Normally, these parts get broken after an accident due to the heavy impact of the locomotive and coaches," a source, close to the inspection team, said.
Meanwhile, the drivers' union rejected the initial probe report alleging "external influence".
In a letter to general managers of all zones, the Railway Board has directed that a safety drive should be launched immediately with special focus on all 'goomties' (rooms along tracks) housing signalling equipment within station limits.
The Uttar Pradesh government has implemented a special crowd management plan called 'Operation Eleven' for the 'Amrit Snan' on Basant Panchami at Maha Kumbh. The plan, devised under strict instructions from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, ensures a one-way traffic route for devotees and smooth movement on pontoon bridges. The heightened measures are in place following a stampede on Mauni Amavasya that claimed at least 30 lives. 'Operation Eleven' includes measures such as strict enforcement of a one-way route, enhanced security at key locations, crowd control at Tikarmafi Turn, special arrangements at Phaphamau and pontoon bridges, railway station and bus movement regulation, enhanced security at Prayag Junction, crowd management at GT Jawahar and Harshvardhan Chauraha, additional security and traffic control measures, and deployment of extra forces.
In its probe report into the June 17 accident in West Bengal's Darjeeling district that left 10 persons dead, including the loco pilot of the goods train, the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) also recommended implementation of the Automatic Train-protection system (KAVACH) on top priority.
Railways Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday asserted that Indian Railways will never be privatised but said private investment should be encouraged for more efficient functioning. Replying to a discussion on Demands for Grants for Railways, Goyal said there has been no death of any passenger due to a rail accident in two years and the railways has been putting enormous focus on passenger safety. He said the country can progress towards high growth and create more employment opportunities only when the public and private sectors work together.
Western Railway's Ratlam division senior Public Relations Officer Jitendra Kumar Jayant said the rush in the train, which runs every Wednesday and Sunday, was the same as it used to be before the mishap.
On the complaint of Rudrapur city section railway engineer Rajendra Kumar, an FIR was lodged at GRP Police Station Rampur under sections of the Railways Act 1989 against unnamed people.
The Railway Board has reduced the speed of semi-high speed trains Gatimaan Express and Vande Bharat from 160 kmph to 130 kmph till the automatic train protection system gets operational.
Indian roads are far more unsafe than its railways. A sense of urgency is required to tackle India's embarrassing record on road safety.
'We don't know how and why this happened as the route interlock signal works fine millions of times every day across India.'
The Mysuru-Darbhanga Express train was given a green signal to pass through the main line, however, it entered a loop line already occupied by the freight train.
The 17-year-old car driver was detained after a case was registered against him. He was produced in a juvenile court which granted him bail, they said.
Terming the train accident at Sitheri station in Tamil Nadu as "very unfortunate" Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi on Wednesday said all efforts will be undertaken to prevent such mishaps in future.
The train hit the cylinder before coming to a screeching halt on Sunday morning. Due to being hit by the train, the cylinder was thrown away from the tracks, they said.
The migrant workers were walking along the rail tracks apparently to escape the attention of police. A video clip from the scene of the tragedy shows the bodies of migrant workers lying on the tracks and nearby with their meagre personal belongings scattered around.
In an interview with rediff.com's Shobha Warrier, consumer rights activist S Pushpavanam talks about the spate of rail accidents in the last few days and what the civil society can do about this.
In an interview with rediff.com's Shobha Warrier, consumer rights activist S Pushpavanam talks about the spate of rail accidents in the last few days and what the civil society can do about this.
No injury or casualty was reported in the incident, they said.
Twenty coaches of the Ahmedabad-bound Sabarmati Express passenger train derailed near Govindpuri station in Kanpur early Saturday after the engine hit an 'object placed on the track'.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that a signal was given to Coromandel Express to enter the main line but it was taken off and the train entered the loop line, where it crashed into a goods train parked there.
The operations are being carried out in coordination with the railway authorities on the ground, he said.
At least eight persons were killed on Tuesday night and 85 others injured when a passenger train from Chennai rammed into a stationary train near Arakkonam, derailing five coaches, about 75 km from Chennai, in the third major rail accident in two months.
This is the third reported incident in the past two months in the Agra Division in which the crew of an express train violated the speed restriction.
Kavach 3.2 version is being installed on approved high-density routes, the railway officials said, adding that upgrading and installation of the latest version on new routes will go on simultaneously to cover a wider railway network in a shorter period.
Vaishnaw said that the actual reason behind the accident could be ascertained only after dismantling the engine's equipment.
The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal demanded Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's resignation over the horrific triple train crash in neighbouring Odisha.
The Monsoon session of Parliament beginning Monday is expected to be a tumultuous affair with opposition stacking up all ammunition ranging from price rise, fuel hike, Bhopal gas tragedy and the Indo-Pak talks to attack the government.
In a bizarre rail accident, an "unauthorised man" ran an electric train for about seven kms unnoticed before ramming it into a goods train, leaving six persons dead and 11 others injured near Vyasarpadi Jeeva station in Chennai's northwestern suburbs.
Five railway employees, including the station master of Bahanaga Bazar, are being investigated in connection with the three-train accident in Odisha's Balasore district that claimed 288 lives, official sources said on Monday.
