Bhubaneswar, June 5: The train services resumed after over 50 hours of one of the ghastliest train tragedies at Bahanaga Bazar Station in Balasore which claimed the lives of 275 people and injured over 1000 passengers.
East Coast Railway(ECoR) sources said the empty goods train was the first train to run on the up line badly damaged in the accident . The Goods train ran on the same track on which the Coromandel Express was running before it entered into the loop line and had a head-on collision into a stationary goods train.
A coal-laden goods train from Vizag port also started its journey towards Rourkela Steel plant at around 10.40 pm on Sunday after completion of the restoration work on a war footing by over 1000 workers.The goods train ran on the same track where a deadly accident involving two superfast express and a Goods train took place on Friday night.
Railway Minister Aswani Vaishnaw, who personally supervised the restoration work, tweeted, “Down-line restoration complete. First train movement in the section.”
The UP line which was also badly damaged in the accident was restored a few hours after the restoration of the Down line, railway sources said.
Meanwhile, the Howrah- Puri Vande Bharat Express crossed the track this morning and the passengers in the train were witness to the heart-wrenching scene of the completely mangled coaches lying on both sides of the tracks at the devastating accident site while travelling in the train.
ECoR sources said two trains – Puri Patna Baidyanath dham express and Khurda Kharagpur Express were cancelled on Monday due to non availability of rakes.
