Konkan Railway unveils safety plan

Besides the above long-term measures, the Konkan Railway would ply six locomotives that would run ahead of the passenger train to warn the oncoming train of any shift in the soil movement or any similar danger sites, Rajaram said.

The locomotives would be run by engineering experts who will be adequately trained in detecting such danger signals, he said, adding the railway also has provided 100 cellular phones for communication between the passenger trains and those monitoring the railway route.

Meanwhile, after more than 66 hours of round-the-clock rescue and salvage operations since Sunday night, the Konkan rail line was restored today evening.

By 6 pm, all train services were normalised, according to an official statement.

The restoration process was the result of the biggest such operation since the 760-km railway line was opened through the Western Ghats in 1998. ‘‘The rescue work and first-aid reached the accident site in a short span of time, which shows the effective coordination of our staff,’’ Konkan Railway Corporation (KRC) Managing Director B Rajaram told reporters.

He added that gas cutters could not be used extensively or indiscriminately to cut open certain coaches for fear of hurting the passengers trapped within. The total loss to KR: Rs 1 crore.

Victims of the late-night crash corroborated Konkan Railway’s statements on the rescue.

‘‘I could not see anything after derailment since it was pitch dark. However, the team arrived quite quickly and got me here,’’ Umesh Vara (33), told The Indian Express at Kankavli. Vara however added that he and his brother Sitaram are still searching for his wife and two children who were also in the train.

‘‘The rescue and hospital services were quite satisfactory,’’ said S Mahesh from Mumbai, who was in the coach right next to the engine.

‘‘While the accident occured at around 9.30 pm on Sunday, our rescue team had arrived on the scene by 10.30 pm to take the injured to hospitals at Kankavli and Oros in Sindhudurg district,’’ the regional manager of the Ratnagiri zone, D R Shyamsunder told reporters at the crash site on Tuesday.

By Tuesday afternoon, the last 17 bodies of the total 50 dead were removed from the derailed coaches and taken to Sindhudurg station for identification, while helplines were set up in hospitals at Kankavli, Oros (Sindhudurg) and Goa.

‘‘The earlier death toll figure of 51 was wrong as one body was counted twice,’’ said Rajaram today. ‘‘Nature is inexplicable, we are trying to solve the unknown.’’

The Konkan Railway has faced much flak from unnamed railway officials, who’ve accused it of spending time on high-profile technology like an anti-collision device and the urban light rail system called the Skybus.

Meanwhile, 0103/0104 Mandovi Express and Diva-Sawantwadi-Madgaon passenger has been cancelled for today in both directions.

Similarly, 2432 Dn Hazrat Nizamuddin-Trivandrum Rajdhani Express has been diverted while the 0111 Down Konkankanya Express, which started from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus at 1225 hrs on June 25 will be terminated at Ratnagiri.

The 2620 up Matsyagandha Express, which started at Mangalore at 0020 hrs on June 25 will also be terminated at Madgon.