Secunderabad-Shalimar Express Derails Near Nalpur Station in West Bengal; No Injuries Reported

Three Coaches of Secunderabad-Shalimar Express Derail Near Nalpur Station in West Bengal, No Injuries Reported, Passengers Evacuated and Assisted

As many as three coaches of the Secunderabad-Shalimar Superfast Express Train No 22850 derailed near Howrah Nalpur Station in West Bengal on Saturday morning. As per reports, at around 5:31 am, parcel and two passenger coaches, including the B1 coach, had derailed. The derailment may be shocking, but what is sure is that the authorities have not confirmed any injury or loss of lives. Relief all-around for both the passengers and railway authority.

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According to Omprakash Charan, Chief Public Relations Officer, South Eastern Railway said, immediate action was taken once the derailment occurred. Accident relief train and medical teams were rushed in from Santragachi as well as Kharagpur to help the situation. Further, about 10 buses were at hand to take all passengers to Kolkata without much disruption to their onward journey.

The derailment of the Secunderabad-Shalimar Express has raised concern among the public and the authorities on the safety of traveling by train. This incident comes in the midst of attempts made by the Indian Railways at reducing the rate of accidents involving trains in different parts of the country. Data is showing that in the last five years, there were 200 consequential railway accidents that saw the loss of 351 lives and injury of nearly 970 people.

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Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has given significant information on the current improvement in railway safety measures while visiting Kolkata-based Braithwaite and Co last month. “On average, it saw around 171 railway accidents a year about nine years ago, whereas now we hardly have 40 of them every year,” Vaishnaw said.

The prompt response to the derailment on Saturday and the zero casualties once again reflect the effectiveness of the measures the railways have adopted for handling such emergencies. However, with further efforts in the direction of increasing railway activity safety, the Indian Railways may shift its focus to reducing instances like these and ensure that this is not followed up by similar derailments that create train travel disruptions and pose a threat to the passengers in the future.

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