UP Train Derailment Probe Attributes Gonda Train Accident to Engineering Section Negligence

The Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express derailed in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda on Thursday, resulting in at least four deaths and several injuries. The accident occurred in Pikaura as the train was traveling from Chandigarh to Assam’s Dibrugarh. According to the investigation report prepared by senior railway officials, a trackman at Jhilahi had warned a junior engineer about a track defect between Motiganj and Jhilahi an hour before the accident.

However, the section officer failed to take cautionary measures, leading to the derailment at high speed. After interviewing the train driver, manager, station master, and other employees, as well as conducting a technical inspection of the accident site, a team of six North Eastern Railway (NER) officers concluded that negligence by the engineering department was responsible for the accident. It was found that the absence of a caution board led the Dibrugarh Express to pass over the compromised track at a speed of 80 km per hour instead of the recommended 30 km/hr, resulting in the derailment at 2.28 p.m. After the derailment, at 2.30 p.m., the Motiganj station master was given a caution memo regarding the issue.

The Chief Public Relations Officer of the North Eastern Railway Zone, Alok Shrivastav, stated that an investigation was still ongoing and emphasized that no conclusion can be drawn at this point. It is worth noting that except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.