Bhubaneswar: No train halt at Bahanaga as CBI seals station

Bhubaneswar: No train will halt at Bahanaga Bazar station as the CBI investigating the train accident in Balasore district has sealed the station after seizing the log book, relay panel and equipment, a railway official said on Saturday.

After restoration of both the Up and Down lines, at least seven trains, mostly local, were halting at Bahanaga Bazar station where a triple train crash took place on June 2 killing 288 persons and leaving 1,208 others injured.

South Eastern Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Aditya Kumar Chaudhary told reporters that the CBI has sealed the station after seizing the log book, relay panel and other equipment.

“The relay interlocking panel has been sealed prohibiting access of the staff to the signalling system, no passenger or goods train would stop at Bahanaga Bazar till further notice,” Choudhary told reporters.

Though around 170 trains pass through Bahanaga Bazar railway station every day, only passenger trains train like Bhadrak-Balasore MEMU, Howrah- Bhadrak Baghajatin Fast Passenger and Kharagpur-Khurda Road Fast Passenger used to stop at the station for a minute.

On Wednesday, the CBI team had collected evidence from the accident site and Bahanaga Bazar station. The CBI team, along with the forensic and technical team, examined the main line, loop line, accident site, signalling room and station master’s office.

They had examined all employees and seized mobile phones of some of the Railway employees, who were on duty when the accident took place.

The Coromandel Express had crashed into a stationary goods train, derailing most of its coaches on June 2. A few of those coaches toppled over the last few coaches of Bengaluru-Howrah Express which was passing by at the same time.