Published On : Thu, Aug 31st, 2017

Post derailment, Duronto Exp unlikely to resume anytime soon!

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Nagpur: The derailment of Duronto Express near Asangaon on Tuesday morning has more problems associated with it than what meets the eye. Now it turns out the regular run of the train is not possible any time soon as there are problem of matching spare coaches.

All the eight air-conditioned coaches of the train were damaged in the accident. A senior railway officials said it would be difficult to get the composition at the moment even if spare coaches are available.

The ill-fated Duronto express coaches were not fully Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) make but were hybrid coaches where LHB shell is fitted over ICF bogie. It has maximum speed of 120 kmph, while LHB coaches have speed of 160 kmph.

Railway officials said now it has to be seen of the eight damaged coaches how many can be put to use after repairs or whether they need to be condoned.

“The decision will be taken by the headquarters after verification of the coaches by mechanical branch. Till then some spare coaches can be made available from some other similar rake,” said sources.

When contacted chief public relations officer (CPRO) Sunil Udasi said, “We are making arrangements to get spare coaches. Even if green colour combination doesn’t match, similar type of coaches can be arranged. Our first priority is to restore traffic on the route. Hence, at this juncture I can’t say when the coaches will be made available.”

However, a section of officials said one rake that reached Nagpur in the morning is fine. “One option is that in case of non-availability of spare coaches, the same rake can be operated with less number of coaches. A final decision in this regard will be taken by Thursday,” they said.

“In such situations Railway Board takes an immediate decision. Option to procure coaches from Western Railway is also open,” they added.

However, railways will have to make some alternative arrangements as passengers must have booked berths in advance.
Meanwhile, traffic to Mumbai was not restored till filing of the report and several trains remained diverted and cancelled. A couple of trains were short-terminated.